OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister for the Olympics with reference to the answer of 11 November 2009,  Official Report, column 373W, on Olympic Games 2012: human trafficking, what progress she has made in developing a plan for action to deter human traffickers from taking advantage of the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: Major sporting events can be a magnet for the global sex and trafficking industry; this is wholly unacceptable. I am determined that traffickers will not exploit London 2012. My officials have been working with the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police Service on this issue and collectively we are developing a comprehensive plan of action which will build on the considerable expertise the UK has in tackling human trafficking.
	Tackling this issue is one of my top priorities. Next month when I attend the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic winter games in Vancouver I will be meeting with key representatives from the agencies responsible for tackling human trafficking and NGO support groups. Ahead of my visit to Vancouver I plan to visit Gatwick airport to view the UK multi-agency response to see how the police, UK Border Force, local social services and NGOs work in partnership to identify and target potential victims of trafficking.
	I will ensure that the All-Party Trafficking of Women and Children group receives an update on lessons learned when I return from Vancouver next month.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Bars

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 825-26W, on bars, 
	(1)  what the existing provision on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate is for staff of the House and hon. Members; what the aggregate revenue accrued for Bellamy's Bar, the Astor Suite and the Bellamy's Club Room was in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what estimate the House of Commons Commission has made of the amount of space required to operate a nursery for the children of staff of hon. Members and of the House;
	(2)  which bars available on the House of Commons estate  (a) House of Commons and  (b) hon. Members' staff may use.

Nick Harvey: Bars on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate currently available to staff of the House (all grades) and Members' staff are:
	Bellamy's Bar (Monday to Thursday 12.00 to 23.00 or rise of House, whichever is the earlier, but not before 22.00) with up to two guests.
	Moncrieff s Café Bar (Monday to Tuesday 09.00 to 20.00; Wednesday to Thursday 09.00 to 22.00 or rise of House, whichever is the later; Friday 09.00 to 16.00) with up to three guests.
	Additionally, senior staff of the House of Commons may use the following bar facilities:
	Strangers' Bar (Monday to Wednesday 12.00 to 23.00 or rise of House, whichever is the later; Thursday 12.00 to 22.00; Friday 12.00 to 15.15 or rise of House, whichever is the later). Staff grade A2 and above may take in up to three guests; Staff Grade B may not take in guests.
	June to July only: Terrace Pavilion Bar (open 13.00 to 23.00 Monday to Wednesday). Access as for Strangers' Bar.
	Pugin Room (bar service open Monday to Tuesday 11.00 to 15.00 and 17.30 to midnight or 15 minutes after the rise of House, whichever is the earlier; Wednesday 11.00 to 15.00 and 17.30 to 23.00; Thursday 11.00 to 15.00 and 17.30 to 22.00; closed Fridays). Open to staff grade A2 and above with up to three guests.
	Members and their guests have access to all the bar facilities listed above. Also, the Members' Smoking Room is provided for the exclusive use of Members of Parliament (Monday to Tuesday 14.00 to 17.00 and 18.00 to midnight; Wednesday 14.00 to 17.00 and 18.00 to 23.00; Thursday 13.00 to 17.00 and 18.00 to 19.00; closed Fridays).
	The following bars are provided elsewhere on the parliamentary estate for all parliamentary pass holders, including Members, their staff and all staff of the House of Commons:
	Sports and Social Club bar 12.00 to 23.00 Monday to Friday (sitting weeks) and at reduced time, depending on the level of trade, during recess.
	Lords Bar (Monday to Thursday 10.30 to 21.00; Friday 10.30 to 19.30) with up to two guests.
	The aggregate income for Bellamy's Bar, Astor Suite and Bellamy's Club Room was £216,000 in 2008-09, the last full 12-month period for which figures are available. However, given the operating costs of the facility and the expectation that some of the banqueting business will take up spare capacity elsewhere, the overall financial impact of the closure is expected to be minimal.
	House of Commons officials consulted with a number of child care experts on space requirements for a nursery which would comply with Ofsted regulations. They advised that the space requirement for children of different ages is as follows: under two years-3.7 sq metres; two years-2.8 sq metres; three to seven years-2.3 sq metres, and in addition certain other facilities need to be provided, such as toilets, a nappy changing area, kitchen, laundry and staff room.

Bars

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 825-26W, on bars, what advice the House of Commons Commission received from fire safety officers on the siting of a nursery on the parliamentary estate in the area currently used by Bellamy's Bar, the Bellamy's Club Room and the Astor Suite; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The site was identified as being suitable in all respects including health and safety, and the advice from fire safety officers will be sought during the design process and regulations will be complied with.

Bars

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2010,  Official Report, column 959W, on bars, what plans the Commission has to make up the revenue to be foregone following the closure of Bellamy's Bar.

Nick Harvey: The revenue from Bellamy's bar is insufficient to cover purchasing costs of the goods sold and the cost of staff directly employed in that venue. Management will be working closely with affected staff and their trade union representatives to redeploy resources to other areas when the bar closes. Provided this is achieved, the closure of Bellamy's Bar will represent a net saving to the House.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Philip Davies: To ask the Solicitor-General how many days on average were taken by the Crown Prosecution Service in each area to provide advice to the police on charges for offences of  (a) rape,  (b) domestic violence and  (c) violent crime in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vera Baird: CPS data captured on its case management system (CMS) show that for the 12-month period from January 2009 to December 2009:
	the average number of calendar days taken to reach the decision to charge in rape cases was 27.1 days
	the average number of calendar days taken to reach the decision to charge in domestic violence cases was 4.7 days
	the average number of calendar days taken to reach the decision to charge in all cases was 8.3 days
	Whereas it is possible to disaggregate pre-charge decision data in rape and domestic violence cases, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of pre-charge decision data for violent crime as a discrete offence category from within CMS. These data could only be obtained by analysis of case files at disproportionate cost.
	Under Statutory Charging arrangements the police refer cases to the CPS for investigative advice or a charging decision. In cases where a file is submitted to the CPS for advice or where there is insufficient evidence to bring a charge at the first referral, the prosecutor will advise the police officer on the further evidence to be gathered. Once this further evidence has been gathered the officer will return the case to the CPS in order for a charging decision to be made.
	CMS data reports the average number of calendar days that has elapsed since the first decision was sought from the police, to the date in which the last decision made was to charge or proceed to some other outcome. The CMS last decision made reports include all cases where a decision to charge was made on the same day as the request from the police, either by CPS Direct (an out of hours telephone service); by way of face to face advice; or by local telephone advice. They also include all those cases where the police were required to submit further evidence prior to a decision to charge being made; and those more complex cases where detailed written advice was provided to the police
	The system is unable to separately record the timeliness of those cases that were subject to advice and further work before a charge decision was made and recorded as the last decision.
	A breakdown of the figures for each area has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Crown Prosecution Service: Pay

Francis Maude: To ask the Solicitor-General on what criteria bonus payments for travelling to work during the severe weather were made to Crown Prosecution Service staff in 2009.

Vera Baird: The CPS London Board took a decision to award a special bonus to staff who worked on 2 February 2009, a day when the vast majority of the transport network in London shut down. The payments were made in recognition of the fact that a limited number of staff were able to attend, to undertake duties which would ordinarily have been shared across the entire work force. The commitment of these members of staff helped to ensure that prosecution deadlines were met, cases were prepared for court and essential courts were covered.
	The payments in London were made in accordance with a Special Bonus Scheme that was being piloted in a limited number of areas within the CPS. No other areas made payments relating to severe weather in 2009, and the overall Special Bonus Scheme was suspended in April 2009. No subsequent payments have been made under this scheme.

Dynamic Decisions Capital Management

Jim Cousins: To ask the Solicitor-General whether the investigation of Dynamic Decisions Capital Management undertaken by the Serious Fraud Office has been concluded.

Vera Baird: On 12 November 2009 the SFO announced that following complaints received about the investment activities of Dynamic Decisions Capital Management Ltd., an investigation had been opened. It would be inappropriate to make further comment.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Churches: Repairs and Maintenance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what recent representations he has received on the level of contribution from central Government towards church repairs.

Stuart Bell: The Archbishops' Council receives regular representations on the growing cost of church and cathedral fabric repairs and General Synod will shortly consider the increasing challenge of realising the huge potential of church buildings while dealing with this financial burden.
	The Church is grateful for existing grant schemes but requests more state support and I have welcomed the Public Accounts Committee's recommendation that cathedrals should receive direct funding from Government, 21 January 2010,  Official Report, column 422. I also share the hon. Lady's view that parish churches, too, need greater support and I suggest that the most immediate aim should be to ensure the extension beyond 2011 of the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme.

Religious Buildings: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what assessment he has made of the effects of recent changes to funding of English Heritage grants on churches and cathedrals applying for grants for repairs; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: As far as I am aware, the changes relate to cathedrals but not to churches.
	Although its ring-fenced cathedral repair grant scheme was ended at the end of the 2009-10 financial year, English Heritage has made clear that cathedrals are still able to apply for funding under its other grant schemes. Indeed, Lincoln cathedral was awarded £250,000 last month for major fabric repairs.
	We are, of course, extremely grateful for all English Heritage's financial support to date but may I add, by way of a statement, that the church also warmly welcomes the recommendation from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee that cathedrals should receive direct funding from Government. Looking after cathedral and church buildings is a huge effort but it is worthwhile given the spiritual, cultural, educational and other benefits to the whole nation.

JUSTICE

Healthy Relationships programme

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in how many prisons the healthy relationships offender behaviour course is offered and how many prisoners are waiting to participate on that course in each prison where it is offered.

Maria Eagle: The healthy relationships accredited offending behaviour programme is delivered in 12 prisons and waiting lists are managed by each prison. To collate, validate and provide meaningful information, and in many cases manually check records, could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Convictions: Video Recordings Act 1984

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice  (a) how much was levied in fines,  (b) how many custodial sentences were handed down and  (c) what the average length was of sentences imposed following conviction under the provisions of section (i) 9, (ii) 10, (iii) 11, (iv) 12, (v) 13 and (vi) 14 of the Video Recordings Act 1984 as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in each year since each such section came into force.

Claire Ward: The number of offenders sentenced at all courts in England and Wales for offences under the Video Recordings Act 1984, from 1995 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following tables. Prior to 1995 data under the Video Recordings Act 1984 were held under a miscellaneous group of offences and cannot be separately identified.
	Sentencing Statistics 2008 will be published on 28 January 2010.
	
		
			  Total custodial sen tences and average custodial sentence length imposed under the Video Recordings Act 1984( 1) 
			1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000 
			 Section 9 Suspended sentences 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 1 2 2 3 4 2 
			  ACSL(2) 4.0 1.5 6.5 6.0 5.9 4.5 
			 
			  Number of fines 30 49 36 16 44 60 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) 10,380 28,060 7,555 7,830 13,835 28,660 
			 
			 Section 10 Suspended sentences 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			  Immediate custody 1 4 3 2 8 7 
			  ACSL 2.0 3.3 4.0 2.0 2.4 3.4 
			 
			  Number of fines 52 46 53 47 44 52 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) 14,340 16,550 15,830 14,710 12,570 11,420 
			 
			 Section 11 Suspended sentences 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			  ACSL 4.0 - 1.9 - - - 
			 
			  Number of fines 7 17 15 18 33 16 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) 4,400 6,405 7,780 7,925 26,350 16,450 
			 Section 12 Suspended sentences 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  ACSL - - - - - - 
			 
			  Number of fines 2 1 0 0 0 0 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) 350 250 - - - - 
			 
			 Section 13 Suspended sentences 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  ACSL - - - - - - 
			 
			  Number of fines 1 1 0 1 1 3 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) 200 70 - 350 1,000 800 
			 
			 Section 14 Suspended sentences 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  ACSL - - - - - - 
			 
			  Number of fines 1 0 1 1 0 1 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) 25 - 4,000 1,250 - 100 
		
	
	
		
			2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Section 9 Suspended sentences 0 0 1 0 0 2 2 
			  Immediate custody 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			  ACSL(2) 3.0 - - 4.0 6.0 - - 
			  
			  Number of fines 47 48 37 21 21 5 11 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) 15,250 18,020 8,925 9,420 7,155 750 5,735 
			  
			 Section 10 Suspended sentences 2 1 1 1 3 5 5 
			  Immediate custody 6 2 4 4 7 15 24 
			  ACSL 2.3 9.5 5.0 5.3 4.0 3.0 2.5 
			  
			  Number of fines 40 44 21 24 20 23 9 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) 22,060 26,785 17,195 15,410 8,579 14,095 11,325 
			  
			 Section 11 Suspended sentences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  ACSL - - - - - - - 
			  
			  Number of fines 9 12 14 6 8 8 0 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) 12,400 12,950 12,900 4,650 3,910 9,950 - 
			  
			 Section 12 Suspended sentences 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  Immediate custody 2 0 1 0 0 3 1 
			  ACSL 0.7 - 2.0 - - 1.6 6.0 
			  
			  Number of fines 5 4 8 33 9 2 4 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) 3,550 2,300 1,325 25,495 2,900 750 2,900 
			  
			 Section 13 Suspended sentences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  ACSL - - - - - - - 
			  
			  Number of fines 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) 2,350 - - - - - - 
			  
			 Section 14 Suspended sentences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 
			  ACSL - - - - 0.2 - - 
			  
			  Number of fines 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			  Sum of fines imposed (£) - - - 300 0 - - 
			 (1) Video Recording Act 1984, sections 9, 10, 111, 12, 13, 14. (2) ACSL (months) excludes life and indeterminate sentences. Refers only to immediate custody.  Notes: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice. Ref: PQ-311810, 18 January 2010

Coroners: Northern Ireland

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent steps have been taken to improve the service provided by the Coroners Service for Northern Ireland;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to reduce delays in inquests held by the Coroners Service for Northern Ireland.

Bridget Prentice: The Coroners Rules in Northern Ireland require that where an inquest is necessary it must be held as soon as is practicable after the coroner has been notified of the death.
	The Coroners Service for Northern Ireland was extensively reorganised in 2006. The following changes have been introduced with the objective of improving service delivery:
	1. A full-time coronial judiciary was established under a senior coroner, replacing the previous structure which largely depended on part-time coroners.
	2. A High Court judge was assigned to be the presiding judge for the Coroners Service.
	3. A medical officer was appointed to provide independent medical advice to the coroners.
	4. Legal officers were appointed to support the coroners in the handling of complex cases.
	5. Administrative support to the coroners was improved, including the appointment of coroners' liaison officers whose role is to liaise with bereaved families to provide information and support throughout the coroner's investigation.
	6. An improved IT system was introduced which allows cases to be tracked effectively.
	7. Protocols have been agreed with partner agencies, including the State Pathology Department and PSNI (who investigate deaths on behalf of the coroners in Northern Ireland), setting targets for the production of reports.
	The Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Court Administration recently reported favourably on the improvements made in the Coroners Service (Coroners Service for Northern Ireland: A follow-up review of the administrative systems supporting bereaved families provided by the Coroners Service for Northern Ireland-November 2009).

Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1995

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many recovery notices have been made under section 7A of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1995; and how much compensation has been so recovered.

Claire Ward: There have been no recovery notices made under section 7A of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1995 as this section is un-commenced.

Custodial Treatment

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners who received indeterminate sentences for public protection at each tariff length have been received into custody in each month since the sentence was introduced;
	(2)  how many indeterminate sentences for public protection have been handed down for each type of offence in each month since December 2008.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is currently being collated by officials in the National Offender Management Service. I will write to the hon. Member once this work is complete and place a copy of the letter in the Library.

Cycling: Fines

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many fines for cycling on pavements have been issued in each local highway authority area in each of the last five years.

Claire Ward: The available information is provided in the following table.
	Sentencing Statistics 2008 will be published on 28 January 2010.
	The figures which we have provided are shown by police force area and not by local highway authority, because the courts proceeding database does not hold this information.
	
		
			  Total fines for cycling( 1)  on pavements, 2003-07 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset 53 102 71 56 83 
			 Bedfordshire 11 16 23 15 20 
			 Cambridgeshire 33 10 10 39 31 
			 Cheshire 4 9 10 12 19 
			 City of London 21 26 12 12 10 
			 Cleveland 7 17 23 30 18 
			 Cumbria 38 45 59 53 68 
			 Derbyshire 49 45 40 21 42 
			 Devon and Cornwall 61 62 37 30 40 
			 Dorset 3 6 6 18 30 
			 Durham 17 21 32 16 51 
			 Essex 49 42 53 37 66 
			 Gloucestershire 3 5 8 4 10 
			 Greater Manchester 299 220 186 166 81 
			 Hampshire 59 50 39 39 40 
			 Hertfordshire 18 34 23 16 25 
			 Humberside 51 20 29 30 29 
			 Kent 31 33 26 24 35 
			 Lancashire 15 9 14 6 8 
			 Leicestershire 37 25 26 18 13 
			 Lincolnshire 18 22 5 22 26 
			 Merseyside 77 107 76 72 84 
			 Metropolitan Police 577 564 445 199 123 
			 Norfolk 16 16 15 5 16 
			 North Yorkshire 11 14 25 20 22 
			 Northamptonshire 2 5 5 9 16 
			 Northumbria 53 57 72 59 88 
			 Nottinghamshire 17 11 7 8 22 
			 South Yorkshire 50 38 63 54 50 
			 Staffordshire 10 19 19 15 20 
			 Suffolk 15 18 10 3 4 
			 Surrey 50 53 39 20 70 
			 Sussex 14 18 16 17 16 
			 Thames Valley 102 99 99 81 53 
			 Warwickshire 5 12 7 3 6 
			 West Mercia 15 31 20 39 26 
			 West Midlands 111 102 120 104 111 
			 West Yorkshire 94 64 79 101 74 
			 Wiltshire 16 10 11 6 7 
			 Dyfed-Powys 14 11 11 10 15 
			 Gwent 12 15 14 7 12 
			 North Wales 11 19 16 26 7 
			 South Wales 47 95 41 61 57 
			 Total 2,196 2,197 1,942 1,583 1,644 
			  Note: The following offences have been included in the answer but they may not all relate solely to cycling on pavement (1), Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 -s.25(5) By moving vehicle: Failing to accord precedence to foot passengers -s.25(5) offences connected with pedal cycles: in relation to pedestrian crossing -Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 S.17(4) Offences connected with pedal cycles -Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 S.25(5) - By moving vehicles: failing to accord precedence to foot passengers -Pelican Pedestrian crossing Regulations and General directions 1987 Regs 12-14 and 16-19 Failing to observe regulations -Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) Regs 1982 Reg 15-offences connected with pedal cycles -Highway Act 1835 S.72-Pedal cycles-riding on footpath -Highway Act 1835 S.78-Pedal cycles-riding to common danger -Metropolitan Police Act 1839S.54(7)-riding to common danger  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services. Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.
	These data are presented on the principal offence basis: where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed; where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether  (a) agencies and  (b) non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible sell information on a commercial basis to (i) companies or individuals in the private sector and (ii) other organisations.

Michael Wills: Government Departments and agencies and non-departmental public bodies that have Crown status, make most of their information available for free re-use under the PSI Click-Use Licence. Government trading funds, such as Her Majesty's Land Registry, for which I have ministerial responsibility, are able under their trading fund status to charge for the services they provide in order to cover their costs. This covers information and its supply provided to other public bodies, commercial organisations and individuals. In common with other Government policy, some information is sold as priced publications.

Driving Offences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of driving without insurance in each justice administrative area in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: The number of persons found guilty at all courts in England and Wales for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third-party risks, by police force area, from 1997 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
	
		
			  Number of persons found guilty at all courts for 'using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks', by police force area, England and Wales, 1997 to 2007( 1, 2) 
			  Police force area  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset 5,690 5,918 4,983 5,739 4,746 5,447 5,886 6,364 5,455 4,662 3,744 
			 Bedfordshire 2,125 2,159 1,521 1,456 1,930 2,129 2,344 2,276 2,412 2,190 1,967 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,462 1,562 1,329 1,386 1,130 1,276 1,498 1,618 1,802 2,485 1,769 
			 Cheshire 2,374 2,497 2,508 2,696 2,547 2,973 3,611 3,804 2,769 2,688 3,391 
			 City of London 1,241 1,305 1,040 683 902 1,133 1,395 922 852 974 797 
			 Cleveland 1,656 1,744 1,760 2,272 2,197 2,653 2,298 3,359 2,505 2,323 1,556 
			 Cumbria 1,783 1,656 1,452 1,523 1,454 1,484 1,584 1,449 1,368 1,406 1,563 
			 Derbyshire 2,291 2,168 2,117 2,393 2,727 2,826 3,041 3,785 3,862 2,784 3,476 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,299 2,639 2,980 4,025 3,760 4,031 4,134 4,042 3,510 4,048 3,724 
			 Dorset 2,072 1,687 1,858 2,246 1,513 1,711 2,086 2,005 2,321 2,123 1,822 
			 Durham 1,647 1,819 2,954 2,834 2,728 2,729 2,454 2,255 1,919 1,572 1,713 
			 Essex 3,242 3,239 3,483 3,752 3,647 3,597 3,536 3,610 3,790 3,851 4,239 
			 Gloucestershire 1,209 1,806 1,757 1,549 1,351 1,115 1,674 1,606 1,365 1,256 1,453 
			 Greater Manchester 13,673 14,063 15,611 15,859 17,506 18,472 20,694 18,836 16,441 15,163 11,747 
			 Hampshire 4,868 4,977 5,166 4,758 4,855 5,121 5,144 5,007 4,188 3,852 3,775 
			 Hertfordshire 1,442 1,792 1,694 2,153 2,427 2,932 3,690 4,061 4,406 4,774 3,746 
			 Humberside 1,932 1,927 2,329 2,423 2,255 2,104 2,550 2,508 2,537 3,072 1,835 
			 Kent 3,541 3,544 3,004 4,868 5,473 6,543 5,700 6,098 5,064 5,281 4,872 
			 Lancashire 8,182 7,661 6,449 7,487 6,240 6,863 8,906 6,642 7,619 6,661 6,443 
			 Leicestershire 4,047 4,299 4,843 4,282 4,321 4,513 5,349 5,376 3,573 3,137 2,199 
			 Lincolnshire 2,030 2,409 2,567 2,141 1,896 1,814 2,574 3,374 2,799 2,937 2,199 
			 Merseyside 5,162 4,786 4,417 4,998 4,930 5,963 7,360 7,208 5,967 4,449 5,714 
			 Metropolitan Police 17,698 15,531 13,844 13,193 14,449 17,674 20,970 25,343 25,520 26,796 29,173 
			 Norfolk 2,356 2,102 2,017 1,803 1,607 1,904 2,619 2,331 2,132 2,156 1,951 
			 North Yorkshire 1,736 1,616 1,615 1,589 1,247 1,216 1,342 1,536 1,674 1,640 1,832 
			 Northamptonshire 2,590 2,583 2,951 2,057 908 506 2,336 3,478 2,922 2,584 1,906 
			 Northumbria 4,929 4,867 5,638 5,957 5,534 5,623 5,901 5,587 6,091 5,884 4,979 
			 Nottinghamshire 3,240 3,540 2,815 3,062 3,066 2,888 3,796 4,347 3,604 3,132 3,372 
			 South Yorkshire 3,823 4,312 4,573 4,826 5,888 5,739 5,686 5,230 5,359 5,162 4,044 
			 Staffordshire 3,209 3,255 3,403 3,906 2,658 3,526 3,794 4,222 4,230 4,001 3,241 
			 Suffolk 1,467 1,561 1,649 1,429 1,547 1,683 2,225 2,247 1,854 1,686 1,365 
			 Surrey 1,532 1,424 1,392 1,611 1,731 1,992 1,853 1,949 1,924 1,942 3,183 
			 Sussex 3,207 2,919 2,757 2,491 2,521 2,275 2,154 2,267 2,100 2,400 2,679 
			 Thames Valley 3,774 3,959 4,783 4,774 4,152 4,892 6,558 6,346 5,581 5,638 5,195 
			 Warwickshire 1,641 1,532 1,341 1,506 1,631 1,528 1,799 2,542 2,230 2,357 1,898 
			 West Mercia 3,176 3,893 3,647 3,947 3,992 4,074 4,292 4,571 4,293 4,537 3,603 
			 West Midlands 10,843 11,214 9,369 10,535 10,622 14,199 17,249 19,314 17,715 15,936 11,047 
			 West Yorkshire 9,161 8,856 9,688 9,383 9,841 8,008 10,745 13,964 11,637 10,243 7,156 
			 Wiltshire 1,502 1,814 1,592 1,638 2,108 2,062 1,983 1,875 1,936 2,071 1,426 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,327 1,350 1,399 1,432 1,205 1,553 1,503 1,059 1,293 1,234 1,304 
			 Gwent 1,899 2,159 2,162 2,326 2,276 2,188 1,916 1,527 1,514 1,531 1,179 
			 North Wales 2,157 2,087 1,941 1,814 1,453 1,898 3,040 3,351 2,279 3,187 2,258 
			 South Wales 6,269 6,808 6,190 6,303 5,371 6,320 6,639 7,358 6,013 5,671 4,621 
			 Total 162,504 163,039 160,588 167,105 164,342 179,177 205,908 216,649 198,425 191,476 171,156 
			 (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Driving Offences: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) hit and run accidents,  (b) hit and run accidents in which the driver did not have insurance and  (c) hit and run drivers taken to court there were in Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency in each of the last three years.

Claire Ward: Data on the number of reported hit and run personal injury road accidents in the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency provided by the Department for Transport (DfT) from 2005 to 2008 are shown in table 1. The DfT does not collect information centrally on uninsured drivers involved in hit and run accidents.
	Information available on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database cannot identify those defendants, proceeded against for offences of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third-party risks that have been involved in a hit and run accident.
	The number of persons 'proceeded against at magistrates' courts for the offence of 'failing to stop after an accident' in the west midlands police force area, from 2005 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in table 2.
	Court proceedings data are not available at parliamentary constituency level, therefore information is given for the west midlands police force area in which the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency is located.
	Data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
	
		
			  Table 1: Reported hit and run personal injury road accidents in the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath parliamentary constituency( 1) , 2005 - 08 
			   Accidents (number) 
			 2005 186 
			 2006 150 
			 2007 159 
			 2008 149 
			 (1) Based on 2004 parliamentary constituency boundaries.  Source: Department for Transport. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for the offence of failing to stop after an accident( 1, 2, 3 ) in the west midlands police force area, from 2003 - 07( 4, 5) 
			  Offence description  Statute  2005  2006  2007 
			 Failing to stop after accident Road Traffic Act 1988 S.170(4) 411 411 362 
			 (1) Not all hit and run incidents are pursued through the courts-minor ones in particular may not involve police attendance and may not be reported to the police by the injured party.  (2) "Hit and run" usually refers to a collision in which someone was injured or killed. The offence of failure to stop is also committed if there has only been damage but such incidents cannot be distinguished from those involving injury or death.  (3) A person involved in a hit and run incident may be convicted of a more serious offence such as dangerous driving.  (4) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (5) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Interpreters

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent by  (a) HM Courts Service and  (b) his Department in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency on interpreters for (A) suspects, (B) charged individuals and (C) victims of crime who are unable to speak English in each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: The information requested is set out as follows.
	 Expenditure on interpreters in England and Wales by the Department and its agencies
	The expenditure for financial years 2007-08 and 2008-09 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  To nearest £000 
			   2008-09  2007-08 
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 26 19 
			 HM Courts Service (HMCS) 638 704 
			 HMCS Crown Courts paid from Central Fund Budget 4,503 4,034 
			 Tribunals Service 5,283 6,126 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 40 40 
			 National Offenders Management Service(1) 966 868 
			 Total 11,456 11,791 
			 (1) This figure includes translation costs as well as interpretation costs. The amounts are separately recorded and can be disaggregated only at disproportionate costs. 
		
	
	The information in the table excludes the following expenditure:
	It is not possible to separately identify expenditure on interpreters by magistrates courts from other magistrates costs financed from the central fund budget without incurring the disproportionate cost of examining every transaction, the supporting records for which are held locally. Sample exercises have been undertaken in the past to estimate the proportion of magistrates' expenditure that relates to interpreters but they have yielded inconsistent results.
	The NOMS figure excludes expenditure by the National Probation Service which is held locally by 42 probation boards and trusts who use separate and different accounting systems. Information could be determined only at disproportionate cost through examination of local records.
	 Expenditure on interpreters in the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency by the Department and its agencies
	Expenditure by Her Majesty's Courts Service for interpreters in the Crown Courts in the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency was £155,700 in 2007-08 and £128,600 in 2008-09. This expenditure was incurred by Birmingham Crown Court which is the only Crown Court falling within the constituency of Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath.
	 Suspects, charged individuals and victims
	Her Majesty's Courts Service meets interpreters' costs for victims, which are provided above. The police meet interpreters' costs for suspects and charged individuals. Police costs are funded by the Home Office.

Monarchy: Succession

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the advice of the Attorney-General on the rights of illegitimate children in a succession to the Crown  (a) was requested prior to and  (b) has been requested since the deposition in February 1981 of the UK's interpretative declaration of articles 9 and 10 of the European Convention on the Legal Status of Children Born out of Wedlock.

Claire Ward: By long-standing convention, observed by successive Administrations and embodied in the Ministerial Code, the fact that the Law Officers have advised (or have not advised) on a particular issue, and the content of any advice, is not disclosed outside Government without their authority.

National Offender Management Service: Manpower

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which organisations he  (a) has consulted and  (b) plans to consult regarding the proposed reduction in the number of staff at the National Offender Management Service headquarters.

Maria Eagle: All trade union groups have been, and will continue to be, informed about and consulted on planned reductions to staffing levels in National Offender Management Service (NOMS) headquarters through the established NOMS trade union engagement structures.

Office for Legal Complaints

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what guidance has been issued to the Legal Complaints Service on the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 to those of its staff who are transferring to the Office for Legal Complaints;
	(2)  whether the transfer of operations of the Legal Complaints Service to the Office for Legal Complaints has resulted in staff redundancies.

Bridget Prentice: The Office for Legal Complaints will administer the Legal Ombudsman Scheme which will provide a single point of entry with consistent handling of all consumer complaints about providers of regulated legal services. This will replace the existing complaints handling regime with a new system and therefore the operation of the Legal Complaints Service will not transfer to the Office for Legal Complaints.
	To date no decisions have been made to transfer staff. The Law Society has commenced legal proceedings to seek clarification on the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006. The decision of the court will be a matter of public record.

Office for Legal Complaints

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff work at the Office for Legal Complaints; and what the job description is for each post held by such staff.

Bridget Prentice: At present the OLC has four permanent members of staff one of whom is Adam Sampson who formally took up post as Chief Ombudsman and Chief Executive on 1 July 2009. The roles of the other three permanent employees are Head of External Affairs, Board Secretary and Head of Human Resources. In addition, the OLC has two employees on fixed term contracts: the interim Chief Operation Officer and an administrator. This team is supported by nine agency staff employed on an interim basis.
	Job descriptions for each post have been placed in the House Library.

Office for Legal Complaints

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse has been of establishing the Office for Legal Complaints; and whether he expects further such costs to be incurred.

Bridget Prentice: The budgeted cost of establishing the Office for Legal Complaints is £15.1 million. To date £7 million has been expended or committed. However, the costs of establishing the Office for Legal Complaints will be recouped through a levy on the legal professions, and therefore, ultimately, there will be no cost to the public purse.

Office for Legal Complaints

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects the Office for Legal Complaints to begin to accept complaint cases for consideration.

Bridget Prentice: I am pleased to say that the Office for Legal Complaints is on course to accept complaint cases for consideration under its Legal Ombudsman scheme by late 2010.

Prison Service and Probation Service

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure equality of opportunity in respect of staff on the Prison Service surplus list and Probation Service secondees in applying for vacant positions in either service.

Maria Eagle: Probation services are not part of the civil service, and their employees are not civil servants. Therefore recruitment to the National Offender Management service (NOMS)-which is a civil service agency-or any other civil service department or agency must reflect that distinction, and NOMS must follow civil service wide procedures for managing surplus staff that have been agreed with civil service trade unions.
	Probation boards and trusts are employers in their own right and therefore have individual recruitment and secondment policies as well as individual policies for dealing with surplus staff which have been agreed with the probation trade unions.

Prison: Programmes and Courses

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection have  (a) had access to and  (b) completed (i) one or more sex offender treatment programme courses, (ii) the Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage It course and (iii) the Enhanced Thinking Skills course in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection  (a) have been assessed as needing the healthy relationships programme and  (b) have completed the healthy relationships programme, in each prison providing the programme in each year since such programmes were introduced;
	(3)  how many of those prisoners serving indeterminate public protection sentences who have reached their tariff expiry date had completed  (a) none,  (b) one and  (c) two or more of the offender behaviour courses specified on their sentence plans prior to the expiry of the tariff;
	(4)  how many prisoners serving indeterminate public protection sentences had completed  (a) no,  (b) one and  (c) two or more offender behaviour courses on the most recent date for which figures are available;
	(5)  how many prisoners of each  (a) age group,  (b) sex and  (c) ethnicity were serving indeterminate sentences for public protection on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) database on indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPP) prisoners holds information on IPPs currently in custody. It therefore does not include those who have been discharged, or those whose IPP sentence was subsequently quashed. Although it captures data on access to, and completions of, accredited offending behaviour programmes, it does not record the date or location of programme completions, so answers are not broken down by year or location of completion.
	In 2009 NOMS rolled out the Thinking Skills programme, which will replace the Enhanced Thinking Skills programme. The following figures therefore include data for both programmes. On 19 January 2010 there were a total of 5,828 IPPs currently in custody. Of those IPPs currently in custody:
	628 have had access to one or more Sex Offender Treatment programme courses;
	842 have had access to the Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage It (CALM) programme;
	3,509 have had access to the Enhanced Thinking Skills programme (ETS) or the Thinking Skills programme (TSP);
	497 have completed one or more Sex Offender Treatment programme courses;
	755 have completed the CALM programme; and
	3,344 have completed the ETS or TSP programmes.
	Of those IPPs currently in custody:
	24 have been assessed as needing the Healthy Relationships programme; and
	52 have completed the Healthy Relationships programme.
	On 19 January 2010 there were a total of 2,468 IPPs who had reached their tariff expiry date. As the NOMS IPP database does not record the dates of accredited Offending Behaviour programme completions, it is not possible to determine whether the completions took place before or after tariff expiry.
	Of the 2,468 post tariff IPPs currently in custody:
	466 have completed no accredited Offending Behaviour programmes;
	779 have completed one accredited Offending Behaviour programme; and
	1,223 have completed two or more accredited Offending Behaviour programmes.
	On 19 January 2010 there were a total of 5,828 IPPs currently in custody. Of those IPPs currently in custody:
	1,991 have completed no accredited Offending Behaviour programmes;
	1,939 have completed one accredited Offending Behaviour programme; and
	1,898 have completed two or more accredited Offending Behaviour programmes.
	The NOMS IPP database will not able to report on the ethnicity of IPP prisoners until June 2010. The age profile of the 5,828 IPPs in custody on 19 January 2010 is:
	
		
			   IPPs 
			 15-17 years old 23 
			 18-20 years old 284 
			 21-24 years old 1,176 
			 25-29 years old 1,243 
			 30-39 years old 1,502 
			 40-49 years old 1,092 
			 50-59 years old 344 
			 60 +years old 164 
		
	
	The gender profile of IPPs is: male 5,673 and female 155.

Prisoners Release

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons who received indeterminate sentences for public protection and who have passed their minimum tariff date have been released in each month since the sentence was introduced; and how many people released from such sentences have subsequently been recalled in each such year.

Maria Eagle: As of 15 January 2010, the number of offenders who received indeterminate sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP), who have passed their minimum tariff date and who have been released in each month since the sentence was introduced is shown in the following table.
	There is nothing automatic about release on tariff expiry. After an offender sentenced to an IPP has completed his tariff, it is for the independent Parole Board to determine whether his risk of harm is such that he may be safely managed in the community. Of those prisoners who have been released, two were recalled to custody in 2007, six in 2008 and 15 in 2009.
	
		
			  Number of IPP prisoners past tariff who were released each month since 2005 
			  Month of release  Number released 
			 March 2007 1 
			 April 2007 1 
			 June 2007 1 
			 July 2007 3 
			 August 2007 1 
			 September 2007 2 
			 October 2007 2 
			 January 2008 2 
			 February 2008 1 
			 March 2008 4 
			 May 2008 2 
			 June 2008 4 
			 July 2008 1 
			 August 2008 5 
			 September 2008 2 
			 October 2008 3 
			 November 2008 4 
			 December 2008 4 
			 January 2009 6 
			 February 2009 4 
			 March 2009 1 
			 April 2009 4 
			 May 2009 5 
			 June 2009 4 
			 July 2009 6 
			 August 2009 1 
			 September 2009 2 
			 October 2009 6 
			 November 2009 7 
			 December 2009 5 
			 Total 94

Prisons: Budgets

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what direction he has given to each prison governor on budgets for the financial year 2009-10.

Maria Eagle: Letters of delegated authority were issued in June 2009 to each director of offender management from the chief operating officer of the National Offender Management Service. The directors of offender management then issued letters of delegated authority to prison governors in their region. Each prison governor is required to operate within the limits confirmed in the written delegations.

Probation Service: Disabled

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff of the Probation Service in England and Wales who have been diagnosed with a disability are currently subject to  (a) informal and  (b) formal capability proceedings.

Maria Eagle: Disability is self-declared rather than diagnosed. Information on informal capability proceedings is not collated centrally as this is a local probation area management issue.
	However our new Probation HR Data Warehouse does include information on formal capability proceedings and the outcomes of these. This information is currently subject to validation and will be available in early 2010.

Prosecutions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there have been which resulted in a conviction in each of the last six months.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	Table 1 shows the number of defendants prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service whose case was completed in each of the six months ending December 2009. Case outcomes are broken down into convictions and unsuccessful outcomes, the latter figure comprising all outcomes other than a conviction, and are also expressed as a proportion of completed cases.
	Table 2 shows figures for England and Wales as a whole, and for CPS North Yorkshire.
	
		
			  Crown Prosecution Service completed prosecutions, July to December 2009 
			  (1) CPS national 
			   Convictions  Unsuccessful  
			  2009  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Total 
			 July 77,571 86.2 12,382 13.8 89,953 
			 August 66,930 86.0 10,889 14.0 77,819 
			 September 76,583 86.1 12,335 13.9 88,918 
			 October 71,385 86.0 11,634 14.0 83,019 
			 November 69,274 86.0 11,301 14.0 80,575 
			 December 62,881 85.7 10,496 14.3 73,377 
		
	
	
		
			  (2) CPS North Yorkshire 
			   Convictions  Unsuccessful  
			  2009  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Total 
			 July 857 87.4 124 12.6 981 
			 August 768 89.9 86 10.1 854 
			 September 892 88.9 111 11.1 1,003 
			 October 856 87.7 120 12.3 976 
			 November 834 88.6 107 11.4 941 
			 December 09 736 88.7 94 11.3 830

Public Sector: Disclosure of Information

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many requests made to the Office of Public Sector Information's Public Sector Information Unlocking Service beta have been  (a) accepted and  (b) refused.

Michael Wills: The Unlocking Service is a service to gather and assess requests for the re-use of public sector information from the Office of Public Sector Information, part of the National Archives.
	57 primary requests have been accepted. Users can add comments in support of existing requests joining in to the dialogue, rather than create a new request for the same information.
	A further 10 requests have been rejected. This is because they are outside the defined scope of the Unlocking Service, not relating to the re-use of public sector information or Government data.

Royal Family: Wills

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice at whose request the process for the creation of a new practice for the sealing of royal wills following the death of Princess Margaret was initiated.

Bridget Prentice: No process has been initiated for the creation of a new practice for sealing royal wills following the death of the late Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. The President of Family Division, Sir Mark Potter, has, however, initiated a review of the court practice governing non-contentious probate business in general. The review will be wide-ranging and will include consideration of the current rules and practice relating to the disclosure and publication of wills.

Working Group on Libel Law Review

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the membership is of his working group on libel law review;
	(2)  what the terms of reference are of his working group on libel law review;
	(3)  what the earliest date by which the working group on libel law review will have completed its work; and when he expects to receive the report of that working group.

Bridget Prentice: The terms of reference of the working group on libel law are:
	"to consider whether the law of libel, including the law relating to "libel tourism", in England and Wales needs reform, and if so to make recommendations as to solutions".
	The membership of the group will be announced shortly. The working group has been requested to make recommendations by mid-March.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animals: Licensing

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many exotic animal licences were granted by each London borough in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There is no licensing regime specifically for "exotic" animals, however some exotic species may be considered a danger to the public should they escape and are therefore subject to licensing under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 (DWAA). The administration and enforcement of DWAA licensing is the responsibility of local authorities. Information on the number of licences issued by local authorities is not held centrally.

Dangerous Dogs

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to discuss Professor Sir Patrick Bateson's report on legislation on dangerous dogs with its author.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We welcome the independent inquiry and report into dog breeding by Sir Patrick Bateson. We will consider the recommendations of his report carefully and it is our intention to discuss this matter with key stakeholders during the coming months.

Dangerous Dogs

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to redefine controls on dangerous dogs to apply to all dogs rather than specific breeds.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The existing legislation applies to all dangerous dogs, not just those that are specifically banned. There are no plans to extend bans beyond the types of dogs that are currently banned.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many iPods have been bought by his Department since 2005; and at what cost.

Dan Norris: According to records held centrally DEFRA has not purchased any iPods since 2005.

Departmental Fines

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) have to impose administrative penalties; what the statutory basis is for each such power; and how much (i) his Department and its predecessor and (ii) each of its agencies and NDPBs have recovered in administrative penalties in each year since the inception of his Department.

Dan Norris: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is able to impose administrative financial penalties under:
	the Sea Fishing (Enforcement of Community Measures) (Penalty Notices) Order 2008 (SI 2008/984)
	the Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2163)
	orders to be made under sections 93, 95, 98(2), 142 and 294 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.
	In each case any financial penalty recovered is to be paid into the Consolidated Fund.
	 Receipts
	In 2008, for 10 offences detected under the Sea Fishing (Enforcement of Community Measures) (Penalty Notices) Order 2008, the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) offered and received administrative financial penalties totalling £20,000, and for nine offences detected in 2009, the MFA has offered and received a total of £15,000.
	No financial penalties have been imposed to date under the Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, and no orders providing for administrative financial penalties have been made under the recently enacted Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.

Domestic Waste

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the contribution of savings made as a consequence of moving from weekly to alternate weekly collections of household waste to the efficiency gains reported in annual efficiency statements.

Dan Norris: Guidance on the calculation of value for money gains is the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government. As such, no guidance on this matter has been issued by DEFRA or the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Domestic Waste

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to his Department's Food 2030 strategy document, what plans he has to introduce compulsory household food waste collections; and whether fixed penalty notices would be imposed in such a system.

Dan Norris: The Government support the separate collection of food waste. While Government would like to see all local authorities collecting food waste by 2020, they have not regulated, nor do they currently plan to make source-segregated food waste collection mandatory or impose fixed penalty notices on such a scheme. Food waste collection presents different issues in different contexts and so the Government prefer to keep decisions relating to it at a local level.
	Furthermore, new research from DEFRA shows that 78 per cent. of people support having a separate food waste collection to enable food recycling, and two-thirds of households with access to a separate food waste collection use it. Penalty notices were not used in any of the contexts studied to ensure the food waste collection scheme worked.

Fish Catches

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he made of the sustainability of fish stocks in each of the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Each year the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) classifies a stock's status by comparing the amount of mature fish (the spawning stock biomass) and the rate at which the stock is exploited in comparison with agreed reference levels.
	In terms of spawning stock biomass, a stock is considered to have either full reproductive capacity, being at risk of suffering reduced reproductive capacity or suffering reduced reproductive capacity.
	In terms of the rate of fishing mortality, a stock is considered to be harvested sustainably, at risk of being harvested unsustainably or harvested unsustainably.
	The following table presents the number within each category for the 47 stocks of most interest to the UK. Figures are given for 2007 to 2009.
	
		
			  Category  ICES classifica t ion  2007  2008  2009 
			 In danger Very low level of spawning stock biomass 8 6 5 
			 At risk Reduced level of spawning stock biomass 6 7 4 
			 At risk Full reproductive capacity but harvest rate too high 2 3 2 
			 Healthy Full reproductive capacity and low exploitation rate 8 9 12 
			 Unknown Stock status uncertain 23 22 24 
		
	
	Of those stocks for which the status is known with regards to the reference levels, 52 per cent. are considered to be within precautionary biomass limits and fished sustainably. The equivalent figure is 31 per cent. for all stocks across the Community(1).
	(1) Communication from the Commission-Consultation on Fishing Opportunities for 2010 (COM(2009)224).

Flood Control: Finance

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much is planned to be spent by  (a) his Department,  (b) local authorities and  (c) the Environment Agency on flood and coastal erosion risk management in each year from 2010-11 to 2012-13, indicating in respect of each total how much stimulus package spending brought forward from another year it (i) includes and (ii) excludes.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA expects to spend £780 million on flood and coastal erosion risk management in 2010-11. This includes expenditure by local authorities (supported by Formula Grant) and the Environment Agency (through Grant in Aid). In addition, £20 million of the original £800 million figure for 2010-11 was brought forward into 2009-10 budgets as part of the fiscal stimulation package.
	Within the above, the Department has a retained budget for flood and coastal erosion risk management of £35 million for 2010-11. This will be spent taking forward recommendations within the Pitt review of the 2007 floods, and also to help communities adapt to the risk of flooding and coastal erosion.
	Based on historical spending by local authorities, DEFRA estimates that its total expenditure on flooding and coastal erosion will be at least £87 million in 2010-11. However, the need for local authorities to spend more on flood and coastal erosion risk management was recognised at the last spending review and additional funding was provided as part of the overall formula grant settlement. As Formula Grant is not ring-fenced it is for individual authorities to decide how much to spend subject to limits on overall budgets and the need for investment on other priorities.
	The Environment Agency's Flood Defence Grant In Aid budget for 2010-11 is £659 million in 2010-11. This figure also reflects the £20 million brought forward to 2009-10.
	Budgets for 2011-12 and 2012-13 have not been set. These will be determined by the next spending review.

Flood Control: Finance

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by  (a) his Department,  (b) local authorities and  (c) the Environment Agency on flood and coastal erosion risk management in each year between 2007-08 and 2009-10, indicating in respect of each total how much stimulus package spending brought forward from another year it (i) includes and (ii) excludes.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table sets out the amount spent by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and local authorities on flood and coastal erosion risk management for the three-year period.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Total 589.8 662.15 714.9 
			 
			  (a) DEFRA 0 3.75 20.5 
			  (b) Local authorities 90.0 90.0 (1)87.0 
			  (c) Environment Agency 499.8 568.4 607.4 
			 (1) Estimated. 
		
	
	(i) The figure given against Environment Agency expenditure in 2009-10 includes £20 million brought forward from 2010-11 budgets as part of the fiscal stimulation package.
	(ii) Taking account of the adjustment, total expenditure is expected to be £780 million in 2010-11.
	The figures at  (a) reflect budget retained by DEFRA for the introduction of measures from 2008-09 to assist communities in adapting to future risks and work arising from the review by Sir Michael Pitt into the floods of 2007. It does not include the Flood Defence Grant in Aid allocated to the Environment Agency.
	The Environment Agency is funded by Flood Defence Grant in Aid from DEFRA.
	Local authority spending on flood and coastal erosion risk management is supported by Formula Grant. The £87 million figure quoted for 2009-10 is an estimate of annual expenditure based on historical data prior to the current spending period. The need for local authorities to spend more on flood and coastal erosion risk management was recognised at the last spending review and additional funding was provided as part of the overall formula grant settlement. As Formula Grant is not ring-fenced it is for individual authorities to decide how much to spend subject to limits on overall budgets and the need for investment on other priorities.
	Figures at  (a) (b) and  (c) for 2009-10 are provisional.

Fly-Tipping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of fly-tipping.

Dan Norris: The Environment Agency and local authorities are the enforcement bodies in England for waste crime, such as fly-tipping. DEFRA works closely with these bodies to develop better prevention, detection and prosecution of fly-tipping offences. In 2008-09, fly-tipping incidents dealt with by local authorities in England fell by over nine per cent. on the previous year.
	In particular, DEFRA is:
	funding Keep Britain Tidy to provide local authorities with support and advice on their fly-tipping prevention strategies, including training workshops for individual local authorities. Over 70 authorities will have benefited from this training programme by the end of the financial year. Keep Britain Tidy has also provided all local authorities in England with a Knowledge Bank of best practice information and case studies, backed up with anti-fly-tipping campaigning material;
	funding the Environment Agency's Waste Crime Innovation Programme, which includes pilot work on new and innovative techniques for tackling fly-tipping, as well as a Landowner Partnership Programme, working with landowner organisations to tackle fly-tipping on private land;
	shortly to bring in new powers allowing local authorities and the Environment Agency to seize vehicles suspected of involvement in fly-tipping more easily;
	working to strengthen the waste carrier registration system and promote-through more user friendly guidance-the waste duty of care so that the law is better understood and easier for authorities to enforce.

Food: Conservation

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will issue guidance to local authorities and other public bodies in respect of the purchase of endangered seafood; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA and HM Revenue and Customs enforce strict controls on the import and marketing of animals and animal products from species classified as endangered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
	The Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative has for some time been providing advice and guidance in sustainable sourcing of food, including fish, for the public sector for example by reference to the Marine Stewardship Council's Eco-label scheme and equivalent certification schemes that meet the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Public sector procurement guidance also refers to the IUCN red list as being definitive on endangered species.
	In moving forward with this agenda, we are working with the Office of Government Commerce to embed into the Collaborative Food Procurement Programme best practice on sustainability and environmental awareness including the conservation status of commonly eaten fish and seafood. The aims of this programme are to encourage greater collaboration between public sector buyers to achieve efficiency cost savings and to embed the use of sustainability criteria in the contract award process for the procurement of food by the public sector.

Food: Production

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the percentage of  (a) meat,  (b) eggs,  (c) bread,  (d) wheat,  (e) fruit,  (f) vegetables and  (g) milk consumed which was domestically produced in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Estimates of the percentage of meat, eggs, wheat, fruit, vegetables and milk consumed and which were produced domestically are provided in Table 1. Figures for the last three years are fairly stable.
	These figures are based on volumes of production and trade. Figures are affected by market conditions in the UK and abroad. Factors affecting market conditions include exchange rates, weather conditions, animal disease and consumer demand. When interpreting the figures it is important to look at the trends over time, rather than concentrating on figures for individual years.
	Information on the percentage of domestically produced bread consumed is not available. However, data on the tonnage of wheat grain used for milling and the proportion of wheat grain that is home grown are shown in Table 2. This is also based on volumes but is for the crop year rather than calendar year. The grain will be milled into flour for a range of purposes including bread, biscuits, cakes and starch. It is not possible to provide information that distinguishes home grown wheat grain milled for bread flour alone. The lower percentage home grown wheat in the last two years is a reflection of the lower quality of the domestic crop for milling.
	
		
			  Table 1: Estimate of the percentage consumed from domestic production for meat, eggs, wheat, fruit, vegetables and milk 
			  Percentage 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			 Meat 66 65 65 
			 Eggs 81 77 77 
			 Wheat 92 90 92 
			 Fruit 6 7 8 
			 Vegetables 57 55 56 
			 Liquid drinking milk 99 99 99 
			  Source: DEFRA statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Estimate of the percentage of home grown wheat grain milled into flour 
			   Percentage 
			 2006-07 85 
			 2007-08 79 
			 2008-09 78 
			  Source: DEFRA statistics

Food: Production

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount of domestic  (a) meat,  (b) eggs,  (c) bread,  (d) wheat,  (e) fruit,  (f) vegetables and  (g) milk consumed which was domestically produced in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The volume of UK production of meat, eggs, wheat, fruit, vegetables and drinking milk available for use in the UK is provided in the Table 1. This information is not available for bread.
	These figures are calculated as UK production minus exports from the UK. This leaves the volume of UK production that is available for use in the UK. These products may be consumed in the UK, but they could also be used in the manufacture of other products, which could later be exported. In the case of wheat availability this includes wheat that is used for animal feed or seed production.
	Table 2 shows the tonnage of UK produced grain which is used by the milling industry to produce flour for a range of uses including bread, biscuits, cakes and starch. It is not possible to provide this information specifically for bread.
	
		
			  Table 1: Volume of UK production available for use in the UK 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			 Meat (thousand tonnes) 2,981 2,904 2,793 
			 Eggs (million dozen) 725 704 730 
			 Wheat (thousand tonnes) 12,619 11,309 14,461 
			 Fruit (thousand tonnes) 215 259 279 
			 Vegetables (thousand tonnes) 2,514 2,382 2,506 
			 Liquid drinking milk (million litres) 6,249 6,212 6,255 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Volume of UK produced wheat grain used by the milling industry 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			 UK grain (thousand tonnes) 4,744 4,693 4,918 
			  Source: DEFRA statistics

Genetically Modified Organisms: Animal Feed

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission a study into the possible effects of consumption of genetically modified maize on animal health.

Dan Norris: We have no plans to commission such a study. Under European Union rules, genetically modified (GM) crops are cleared for animal feed use only if they pass a robust safety assessment carried out by the European Food Safety Authority. The assessment takes account of any potential effects on animal health.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Animal Feed

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of consumption of genetically modified feedstuffs on animal health in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: We have not made such an assessment. Under European Union rules, genetically modified (GM) crops are cleared for animal feed use only if they pass a robust safety assessment carried out by the European Food Safety Authority. The assessment takes account of any potential effects on animal health.

Hares: Conservation

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of making the hare a protected species; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 21 January 2010
	Our assessment is that the hare already has the appropriate protection.

Livestock: Waste Disposal

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2010,  Official Report, column 963W, on agriculture: waste disposal, what provision of the EU Animal By-Products Regulations 1774/2002 prohibits the disposal of fallen stock by means of anaerobic digestion; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Fallen stock are categorised as high risk material under the animal Regulation 1774/2002, articles 4 and 5 of which require such material to be disposed of by rendering or incineration only (with limited exceptions-for example feeding of certain material to dogs in hunt kennels). Only these disposal routes are approved because they have been shown to be effective in destruction of TSEs-transmissible spongiform encephalopathies-and other serious diseases, whereas anaerobic digestion has to date only been shown to be effective against a more limited range of pathogens.

Monuments: Conservation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which sites and monuments in the guardianship of the Secretary of State have  (a) current and  (b) lapsed conservation or management plans.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There is a current management plan for each of the buildings, sites and monuments in the guardianship of the Secretary of State. These management plans were established as part of the quadrennial and biennial reports prepared in 2008 and 2009 as part of the wider asset management approach.

Monuments: Conservation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any sites and monuments in the guardianship of the Secretary of State are on the English Heritage Monuments at Risk register.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There are no buildings, sites or monuments in the guardianship of the Secretary of State on the English Heritage Monuments at Risk register.

Monuments: Vandalism

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sites and monuments in the guardianship of the Secretary of State have been damaged by vandalism requiring remedial repair action in each of the last five years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There are no reported instances of vandalism resulting in damage requiring remedial repairs to the historic estate over the past five years.

Monuments: Vandalism

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's strategy is in respect of deterrence of vandalism to sites and monuments in the guardianship of the Secretary of State, with particular reference to those in  (a) remote and  (b) economically deprived areas.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA considers that none of its historic buildings, sites or monuments are located in  (b) economically deprived areas and our experience of vandalism does not necessitate a deterrence strategy.
	There is a single monument which might be considered to be in a  (a) remote location. It is an earthwork monument located in woodland in a semi-rural location. It has a low profile and access is via the main site entrance; our experience is that an active deterrence strategy is not required.

River Dee: Salmon

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the size of the salmon population in the river Dee in the last  (a) two,  (b) five,  (c) 10 and  (d) 15 years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table shows the estimates of the numbers of adult salmon returning to the river Dee at Chester each year since 1992 when an intensive long-term monitoring programme for migratory salmonids began on the river.
	These estimates are published in spring each year (alongside those of other salmon rivers in England and Wales) in a joint report produced by the Environment Agency and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science: Environment Agency and CEFAS (2009) Annual assessment of salmon stocks and fisheries in England and Wales 2008: A preliminary assessment prepared for ICES, March 2009.
	Estimates for 2009 are due to be available by March 2010.
	
		
			  Dee salmon run estimates 1992 to 2008 
			   Number 
			 1992 4,643 
			 1993 9,757 
			 1994 5,285 
			 1995 5,703 
			 1996 4,931 
			 1997 5,496 
			 1998 6,661 
			 1999 3,664 
			 2000 3,751 
			 2001 4,766 
			 2002 7,216 
			 2003 4,915 
			 2004 7,123 
			 2005 5,435 
			 2006 5,663 
			 2007 5,839 
			 2008 5,437

River Dee: Salmon

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on the size of the salmon population in the river Dee.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency has not received any specific representations on the level of the salmon population in the river Dee. The Agency has regular contact with fisheries groups on the river Dee in which salmon populations and angling are discussed.

Slough

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to the Slough constituency, the effects on Slough of the policies and actions of his Department and its predecessors since 2000.

Dan Norris: Due to the broad nature of the question and the wide range of DEFRA policies implemented in Slough, it is not possible to provide a detailed answer in the form requested.
	As a local authority, Slough is obliged through statute to comply with central Government legislation. DEFRA's policy responsibilities are summarised in its departmental strategic objectives (DSOs) that have been agreed with the Treasury:
	To promote a society that is adapting to the effects of climate change, through a national programme of action and a contribution to international action.
	To promote a healthy, resilient, productive and diverse natural environment.
	To promote sustainable, low carbon and resource efficient patterns of consumption and production.
	To promote an economy and a society that are resilient to environmental risk.
	To champion sustainable development.
	To promote a thriving farming and food sector with an improving net environmental impact.
	To encourage a sustainable, secure and healthy food supply.
	To provide socially and economically sustainable rural communities.
	To be a respected department delivering efficient and high quality services and outcomes.
	One example is that Slough has included National Indicator 192 (amount of household waste recycled or composted) and National Indicator 186 (per capita reduction in CO2 emissions in the local authority area) in its local area agreement, which will encourage it to achieve higher levels of performance in these areas.
	DEFRA publishes annual departmental reports which set out progress against its public service agreement targets and DSOs. The 2009 report is available at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/how/deprep/2009-report.htm
	Past reports available online in the National Archives.
	For information on a specific DEFRA policy in Slough, the Government office for the south-east is able to provide information on implementation and the benefits to the area.

Special Areas of Conservation: Cumbria

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 157W, on special areas of conservation: Cumbria, whether Natural England has reached agreement with the owners of Bolton Fell Moss candidate Special Area of Conservation on measures needed to secure the future protection of the site; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Negotiations between Natural England and the company that owns peat extraction rights on Bolton Fell Moss are continuing and progress is being made towards an agreement which will secure the future protection of the site. The issues are complex, and are taking longer to resolve than expected, but Natural England remains hopeful that an agreement will be reached.

Supermarkets: Waste Disposal

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of the amount of food produce disposed of by supermarkets which has passed its sell-by date and not its best-before date;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of trends in the practice of supermarkets of rejecting supplies of fruit and vegetables on the grounds of minor imperfections;
	(3)  what recent estimate he has made of the amount of fruit and vegetables that is rejected by supermarkets due to minor imperfections; and what recent discussions his Department has had with supermarket representatives on this practice;
	(4)  what his policy is on the practice of supermarkets discarding supplies of fruit and vegetables rejected owing to minor imperfections.

Dan Norris: holding answer 21 January 2010
	No estimate has been made of the amount of food disposed of by supermarkets which is beyond its sell-by date but not its best-before date.
	There has been no assessment of the practice of supermarkets disposing of food on the grounds of minor imperfections and no estimate of the amount of waste involved is available.
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) plans to publish research by early March 2010 on the food waste produced at each stage of the supply chain-from manufacture through to distribution and retail. However, both the amount of food disposed of by supermarkets which is beyond its sell-by-date but not before its best-before date, and the amount of food waste disposed of by supermarkets due to minor imperfections, are beyond the scope of this project.
	WRAP, the Food Standards Agency (FSA), representatives from the food industry, consumer groups and the UK Government Departments are also working closely to help reduce this food waste by changing retailers' practices on date labelling and food storage guidance.

Tuna: Conservation

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he made of the outcome of the November 2009 meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas; and what position the Government took on the proposal to list Atlantic bluefin tuna under Appendix 1 to the convention on international trade in endangered species.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK welcomes the outcome of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna's (ICCAT) annual meeting that took place in November 2009, as it signals an improvement in the management of the blue-fin tuna stocks. We are assessing whether the measures agreed at the meeting provide sufficient reassurance that ICCAT can take the necessary steps to implement what was agreed at the meeting, in order to turn around the dramatic decline in the species population. Consequently, we have not yet ruled out the need for a convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) Appendix I listing, and it certainly remains an option under consideration in the run up to the CITES Conference of Parties meeting in March this year.

Tuna: Conservation

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 687W, on tuna: conservation, whether he plans to take advice from the  (a) International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and  (b) UN Food and Agricultural Organisation's Ad Hoc Advisory panel into account in determining the UK's negotiating position; and what information will be sought from ICCAT at the compliance meeting in February 2010.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK has considered the information provided by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the outcome of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) annual meeting in shaping its negotiating position on blue fin tuna.
	The UK will be in attendance at the February meeting of the ICCAT Compliance Committee, and will want to be completely satisfied that the contracting parties operating in the blue-fin tuna fishery can demonstrate that they are able to enforce the new provisions effectively, so as to prevent quotas being exceeded.

Water Charges: Voluntary Organisations

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether  (a) his Department and  (b) Ofwat has received representations from the Office of the Third Sector over the new system of water charging on voluntary groups.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has received a number of representations from stakeholders and other Government Departments, including the Office of the Third Sector, on concessionary surface water drainage schemes for community groups.
	Ofwat has not received representations from the Office of the Third Sector on the new system of water charging for voluntary groups.

TRANSPORT

Airports

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what criteria his Department use to assess the merits of proposals to expand airports; what changes to these criteria there have been since 1997; whether any changes are planned in the next six months; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The Future of Air Transport White Paper (2003) provides a strategic framework for the sustainable development of airport capacity in the UK. It neither authorises nor precludes any particular development, but serves to inform and guide the consideration of specific applications which may be made by airport owners to the relevant planning authority.
	The White Paper was based on extensive research and analysis to ensure that economic, environmental and social impacts were properly considered. For example, the criteria used to assess options for airport expansion in the south-east were published in Appraisal framework for airports in South East and East of England (DTLR, 2000).
	Subsequently, the Department has conducted an impact assessment of the decisions set out in Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport: Decisions following Consultation (DFT, 2009). The impact assessment was consistent with the relevant appraisal guidance, including the procedures and criteria set out in the Better Regulation Executive's impact assessment guidance.
	The Department continues to keep under review the approach it takes to assessing the merits of airport expansion.

Aviation: Security

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans he has to utilise passenger data for risk assessment purposes at airport security screening check points.

Paul Clark: We are currently examining whether some form of targeting-which could potentially include passenger data-would be a more effective means of selecting passengers for additional screening than doing so at random. We have not yet made any decisions on the way forward.

Bus Services: Concessions

Angela Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  how many people travelled on local buses under the concessionary fare scheme in each  (a) passenger transport executive and  (b) non-passenger transport executive area in 2008-09;
	(2)  how many people made one or more journeys on  (a) light rail and  (b) tram services under the concessionary fare scheme in 2008-09;
	(3)  how many people travelled on local bus services in London under the concessionary fare scheme in 2008-09.

Sadiq Khan: Estimates of bus journeys made under the concessionary travel scheme during 2008-09 have not yet been published. They are planned for publication not later than June 2010. This date is later than would normally have been the case, as a result of the development of new estimation methodologies that are being applied across a broad range of bus statistics. Figures for concessionary trips made by light rail and tram are not collected.
	However, some published estimates are available from the National Travel Survey on the use of the concessionary bus travel scheme by adults aged 60 and over in Great Britain. The following table presents estimates of the take-up of concessionary bus passes, and the proportion of people travelling by bus at least once a month, for this age group in the calendar years 2005 to 2008.
	
		
			  Self-reported use of concessionary bus travel scheme by adults aged 60 and over in Great Britain, by area type, 2005-08 
			  Area type  2005  2006  2007  2008  Unweighted sample size (individuals, 2008)( 1) 
			  Take- up of concessionary bus passes (percentage)  
			 London boroughs 84 85 85 91 454 
			 Metropolitan built-up areas 70 79 82 84 698 
			 Large urban 56 61 68 74 764 
			 Medium urban 54 59 68 75 1,359 
			 Small/medium urban 55 58 66 72 435 
			 Small urban 46 57 62 68 451 
			 Rural 34 48 49 56 953 
			 All areas 56 63 68 73 5,114 
			   
			  Travel by bus at least once a month (percentage)  
			 London boroughs 69 69 72 78 - 
			 Metropolitan built-up areas 51 60 59 61 - 
			 Large urban 42 48 52 53 - 
			 Medium urban 38 42 46 48 - 
			 Small/medium urban 32 32 35 44 - 
			 Small urban 26 33 31 37 - 
			 Rural 21 22 24 25 - 
			 All areas 39 43 45 48 - 
			 (1) Samples for earlier years were of a comparable size but are not shown in this table for reasons of brevity.  Source: National Travel Survey

Departmental Public Expenditure

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  how much his Department  (a) budgeted to spend and  (b) spent on (i) support for passenger rail franchises and (ii) Transport Innovation Fund capital grants to local authorities for 2008-09;
	(2)  how much his Department  (a) budgeted to spend and  (b) have spent to date on (i) support for passenger rail franchises and (ii) Transport Innovation Fund capital grants to local authorities for 2009-10.

Chris Mole: Support for passenger rail franchises in 2008-09 was budgeted to deliver net income to the Department for Transport of £343 million, against which the outturn was net income of £402 million. In 2009-10 the year-to-date income at the end of December 2009 was £148 million. With expenditure forecast to increase over the remainder of the year due to the impact of the economic downturn on industry revenues, the final position is expected to be in line with the budgeted income of £34 million.
	No Transport Innovation Fund capital funding was paid to local authorities in 2008-09 or 2009-10.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  how much his Department  (a) budgeted to spend and  (b) spent on (i) the congestion Transport Innovation Fund and (ii) the productivity Transport Innovation Fund for 2008-09;
	(2)  how much his Department  (a) budgeted to spend and  (b) has spent to date on (i) the congestion Transport Innovation Fund and (ii) the productivity Transport Innovation Fund for 2009-10.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport announced in July 2005 that it would make available up to £200 million per year from 2008-09 to support Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) congestion packages. Spending depended on receiving acceptable bids from local authorities. A provisional allocation of capital resources for congestion TIF of around £100 million in 2008-09 and £200 million in 2009-10 was made in spending plans prior to start of 2008-09.
	Nothing has been spent directly from congestion TIF, However the Department has spent £16.1 million in 2008-09 and £2.7 million to date in 2009-10 on pump priming and development costs for potential congestion TIF bids.
	Productivity TIF schemes are being delivered by Network Rail and the Highways Agency. The Department budgeted £55.3 million for rail projects in 2008-09 which was spent by Network Rail with a further £61.7 million expected to be spent in 2009-10.
	The budgets for productivity TIF schemes delivered by the Highways Agency were £50.7 million for 2008-09 and £122.5 million for 2009-10. Total spend on the Birmingham Box and A14 active traffic management schemes was £46.6 million in 2008-09 and £68.4 million to December in 2009-10.

Driving Offences: Closed Circuit Television

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of  (a) the code of practice for operation of CCTV enforcement cameras and  (b) a code of practice for bus lane camera enforcement using attended CCTV equipment for approved English local authorities outside London.

Sadiq Khan: With regard to the guidance we have issued on the use of CCTV for civil parking enforcement, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 330W.
	Civil bus lane enforcement in England outside London relies exclusively on evidence from CCTV. I have arranged for a copy of the provisional guidance on bus lane (including tramway) enforcement in England outside London to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	The Department for Transport has not issued any other codes of practice on CCTV traffic enforcement, but many local traffic authorities have done so.

Driving Offences: Crime Prevention

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the number of people who drive  (a) whilst using a mobile telephone,  (b) without wearing a seat belt,  (c) whilst disqualified and  (d) without insurance; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The Department increased the penalty for drivers using a mobile phone to include three penalty points from February 2007. A publicity campaign ran in May 2009 which included a TV commercial and online activity. A new radio campaign warned younger drivers of the dangers of texting while driving.
	 (b) The Home Office increased the fixed penalty for not using a seat belt to £60 from 30 June 2009. A publicity campaign ran in November 2008 which included a new TV commercial also shown in cinemas, two new radio commercials with online activity and outdoor advertising on petrol pump nozzles and car park barriers. A further campaign will run throughout February 2010.
	 (c) The Department does all that it can to assist the police and the courts in detecting and prosecuting cases of unlicensed driving including driving while disqualified. A critical step has been the provision to the police of 24 hour access to accurate and up-to-date driver licensing information (including a photograph where appropriate) at the roadside to assist detection and enforcement. There are also good IT links between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the courts to assist in effective prosecution of offenders.
	 (d) The Home Office introduced a new offence in August 2008 of causing death by driving while unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured which carries a custodial sentence of up to two years. The Road Safety Act 2006 introduced a new offence of being a registered keeper of a vehicle for which there is no valid motor insurance, to be enforced by a procedure of continuous insurance enforcement. Further regulations are required to bring these provisions into force. The Department plans to commence delivery of the scheme in 2010-11 starting with an initial publicity campaign to raise public awareness.

Driving: Licenses

Anne Milton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what mechanisms exist to ensure that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's enforcement policy is  (a) proportionate,  (b) transparent,  (c) consistent and  (d) accountable.

Paul Clark: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) enforcement strategy seeks to maximise collection of vehicle excise duty (VED) at minimum cost and includes proportionate action against non-compliance. DVLA enforcement activities are provided for in law and steered by a cross-Government board which meets every quarter, keeping the approach under review. The agency's enforcement and compliance systems make it more convenient than ever to pay VED but very difficult to evade. The latest national statistics estimate that DVLA collects 99.4 per cent. of all VED payable.
	DVLA also operates the Registration of Number Plate Suppliers scheme, educating suppliers of the rules and taking action against those who break the law. A recent Hampton Implementation Review by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills concluded that DVLA demonstrated good overall compliance with the Hampton principles.

First Capital Connect: Industrial Disputes

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what representations Ministers in his Department have  (a) made to and  (b) received from First Capital Connect on industrial action by drivers on the First Capital Connect Thameslink route in the last three months.

Chris Mole: While industrial relations is a matter for First Capital Connect to manage, the Secretary of State has made representations to both First Capital Connect and First Group as to the importance of restoring a full passenger service. Now that the drivers have accepted the pay deal, First Capital Connect has restored the full timetable.
	Other representations have been made to and from Department for Transport officials, both in terms of requirements under the Franchise Agreement in relation to the concerted actions by drivers and the day to day contractual review which these officials carry out.

First Capital Connect: Industrial Disputes

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many items of correspondence he has received on the recent industrial action by drivers on the First Capital Connect Thameslink route.

Chris Mole: Ministers and officials at the Department for Transport have received over 320 items of correspondence, including emails.

Heathrow Airport: Railways

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps he is taking to facilitate the introduction of a rail link between Woking and Heathrow airport.

Chris Mole: A scheme to provide a direct rail link between Woking and Heathrow airport, known as Heathrow Airtrack, is being promoted by Heathrow Airport Ltd., a subsidiary of BAA. In order to secure powers to construct and operate the scheme, Heathrow Airport Ltd. submitted an application for an Order under the Transport and Works Act in July 2009. A public inquiry is planned to be held during 2010 following which the independent planning inspector will make recommendations to Ministers.

Ice and Snow: Merseyside

Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will discuss with Wirral borough council  (a) damage caused by ice to roads in the borough and  (b) the clearance of snow from main and side roads in the borough.

Sadiq Khan: The maintenance of the local highway in Wirral is the responsibility of Wirral metropolitan borough council. This Department has published guidance on its emergency capital highway maintenance funding scheme. If Wirral metropolitan borough council wishes to submit a claim for this funding, in connection with damage caused by this winter's severe weather, the Department will arrange for its consultants to provide free assistance to the authority.
	As the local highway authority, it is a matter for Wirral metropolitan borough council to decide on their policy for clearing snow and ice from their roads. The UK Roads Liaison Group (UKRLG) has published Well maintained highways, a code of practice for highway maintenance. They have recently published updated guidance on the section which covers winter maintenance. Both the code of practice and the revised winter service guidance are available free of charge on the UKRLG website:
	www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org

Parking Offences: Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to the answer of 7 July 2009,  Official Report, column 644W, on parking: fines, which local authority uses automatic number plate recognition technology for civil parking enforcement; and for what purpose that option was certified.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport is aware that some local authorities use automatic number plate recognition technology to trigger the recording of a potential parking contravention, or to assist the process of vehicle identification. We cannot compile a list of such authorities, as they are not, in all circumstances, required to notify the Department that they are currently using such technology for these purposes. In all cases, the video record must be reviewed by a human operator, who decides whether to issue a penalty charge notice.

Railways: Snow and Ice

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many rail services in England and Wales were cancelled owing to adverse weather conditions in January 2010; and how many such services served stations in  (a) Leicester and  (b) the east midlands.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not hold a detailed breakdown of the reasons for specific cancellations. However, in the most recent four weeks for which provisional figures are available (ending 9 January 2010) 17,172 trains were cancelled in England and Wales. This represents 4.16 per cent. of trains scheduled to run.
	In the same period, East Midland Trains (which serves Leicester and is the main train operator in the east midlands) cancelled 106 trains, which represents 0.97 per cent. of trains scheduled to run. Crosscountry Trains (which also serves Leicester and the east midlands) cancelled 297 trains, which represents 4.65 per cent of trains scheduled to run.
	Detailed train performance data for the rail network, including cancellations by cause, is collected and held by Network Rail. The hon. Member may wish to contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his question:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London N1 9AG

Railways: Snow and Ice

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which train operating companies operated reduced timetables on  (a) 6,  (b) 7 and  (c) 8 January 2010; and what reason was given by each train operating company for operating such timetables.

Chris Mole: According to information received by the Department, the following train operating companies operated reduced timetables on the dates shown, in all cases due to the adverse weather conditions:
	
		
			  Reduced timetables operated 
			  Train operating companies  6 January  7 January  8 January 
			 Chiltern Yes - Yes 
			 East Coast Yes Yes Yes 
			 FCC Yes Yes Yes 
			 FGW - Yes Yes 
			 First TPE - Yes Yes 
			 London Midland - - Yes 
			 London Overground - Yes - 
			 NXEA Yes Yes Yes 
			 Northern - Yes Yes 
			 ScotRail Yes Yes Yes 
			 Southeastern Yes Yes Yes 
			 South West Trains Yes Yes Yes 
			 Southern Yes Yes Yes 
		
	
	In addition, on all three dates, First Capital Connect operated reduced timetables because of a shortage of available drivers.

Railways: Snow and Ice

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether he has made a recent assessment of the resilience of the rail network in  (a) Greater London and  (b) the south-east to severe weather conditions.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is working with the rail industry to review performance and the industry's response during the recent disruption caused by the severe weather conditions. The Department is also collecting information on all services which were operated to understand whether improvements could be made to rail services during future adverse weather.

Regional Planning and Development: Transport

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which public bodies are responsible for the content of  (a) regional transport plans and  (b) transport chapters of regional spatial strategies.

Sadiq Khan: Planning Policy Statement 11, which is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/147423.pdf
	sets out the requirements for regional transport strategies, which form an integral part of regional spatial strategies. Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act of 2004, responsibility for preparing regional spatial strategies is assigned to designated regional planning bodies which in recent years have been the regional assemblies.
	On full commencement of part 5 of the Local Democracy Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, on 1 April 2010, the regional spatial strategy (prepared under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004) and the regional economic strategy (prepared under the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998) will jointly become the regional strategy in each region until revised and replaced by a new integrated regional strategy.
	The new integrated regional strategy, which will also include a transport strategy, will be the responsibility of responsible regional authorities, comprising regional development agencies and local authority leaders' boards acting jointly.
	Separate legislation applies in London.

Roads: Accidents

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many persons injured in road traffic accidents did not receive full compensation for injuries sustained in cases where the driver of the vehicle at fault was not insured in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: There is no information held on this specific aspect. The Motor Insurers Bureau compensates people injured in road traffic accidents caused by uninsured or untraced drivers. Compensation claims are assessed and settled on the circumstances of each case.

Roads: Lighting

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what legislative provisions in respect of street lighting are in force; what changes there have been to such legislation since its enactment; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: There are a number of legislative provisions that apply in respect of street lighting, starting with the Towns Improvement Clauses Act 1847. A searchable database of current legislation can be found at:
	http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk

Roads: Lighting

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the renewal of street lighting; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Department has not issued any guidance to local authorities on the renewal of street lighting. We have issued guidance in relation to the current bidding round for street lighting PFI. This can be found on the DFT website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/streetlightingpfi

Roads: Snow and Ice

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of grit and salt to treat roads and pavements in  (a) Leicester,  (b) the east midlands and  (c) nationwide in periods of very cold weather.

Sadiq Khan: Following the severe weather in February 2009, the UK Roads Liaison Group published a report on the lessons learnt on salt usage and supply. The Department for Transport welcomed the UKRLG report and wrote to local authority chief executives impressing on them the importance of effective winter service strategies. The UKRLG also issued revised guidance on winter service.
	The UKRLG recommendation was that local authorities should keep six days salt capacity and that in addition the Highways Agency should hold a strategic reserve. The Highways Agency entered this winter period with 13 days' capacity and I regard this as the right response following last year's events. For local roads, it is for each local highway authority to consider what measures to take to ensure roads and pavements can be gritted, based on the guidance available to them.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many snow ploughs provided by his Department were in operation in  (a) Leicester and  (b) the east midlands in January 2010.

Sadiq Khan: As part of the Highways Agency's winter fleet replacement project, 35 new vehicles were in operation in the east midlands region this season, of which nine operated specifically within Leicestershire. The Highways Agency does not have any motorways or trunk roads within Leicester.
	Winter service provision on local authority roads is a matter for the authority concerned. The Department for Transport does not provide snow ploughs or other equipment.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport from what sources the salt used to treat roads in  (a) Leicester and  (b) the east midlands is procured.

Sadiq Khan: Local authorities in the East Midlands purchase the salt they use to treat roads from a number of suppliers, the two biggest being Salt Union and Cleveland Potash. Salt Union currently supply salt to treat roads to Leicester city and Leicestershire.
	The Highways Agency does not have any trunk roads or motorways in Leicester. Salt used to treat the trunk roads and motorways in the east midlands region is purchased from Salt Union.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many A-roads in Leicestershire were closed owing to adverse weather conditions in January 2010.

Sadiq Khan: No A-roads in Leicestershire have been closed owing to the adverse weather conditions in January 2010.
	The Highways Agency is responsible for the Strategic Road Network in England. No trunk roads or motorways in Leicestershire have been closed so far in January owing to adverse weather conditions.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many roads for which his Department has responsibility in  (a) Leicester,  (b) the east midlands and  (c) nationwide were closed owing to adverse weather conditions in January 2010.

Sadiq Khan: The Highways Agency has responsibility for the Strategic Road Network in England. This network is made up of motorways and trunk roads. The following table shows those road closures on the Strategic Road Network which were directly and immediately attributable to the adverse weather conditions in January 2010.
	 Note:
	None of them were in the east midlands. Where no date is provided in the 'date to' box, the road was only closed on one day.
	
		
			  Road  Details  Date from  Date to  Times 
			 A628 Flouch (A616/A628 roundabout to A57 Tintwistle) 2 January 2010 - 11:40 to 15:26 
			 A628 Flouch (A616/A628 roundabout to A57 Tintwistle) 5 January 2010 14 January 2010 07:15 to 16:00 
			 A616 M1 J35A to junction with A628 Flouch 5 January 2010 6 January 2010 13:35 to 10:30 
			 A66 Bowes (A67) to Brough (A685) 2 January 2010 3 January 2010 14:32 to 14:55 
			 A66(1) Bowes (A67) to Brough (A685) 5 January 2010 - 03:26 to 14:27 
			 A66 Bowes (A67) to Brough (A685) 5 January 2010 7 January 2010 17:05 to 13:25 
			 A66 Bowes (A67) to Brough (A685) 9 January 2010 14 January 2010 17:35 to 18:33 
			 A249 Sheppey Crossing - both directions 6 January 2010 - 19:30 to 21:30 
			 A249 Sheppey Crossing - both directions 9 January 2010 10 January 2010 02:50 to14:05 
			 A3 Hindhead 5 January 2010 6 January 2010 18:20 to 12:17 
			 M48 J1 - J2 Severn Bridge westbound 13 January 2010 - 02:20 to 12:00 
			 M48 J1 - J2 Severn Bridge eastbound 13 January 2010 - 02:20 to 12:15 
			 A38 A380 Kennford to B3344 Harcombe 12 January 2010 13 January 2010 21:30 to 01:20 
			 A5 A509 to A422 near Milton Keynes - both directions 6 January 2010 - 20:40 to 22:35 
			 (1 )The A66 was closed between the snow gates at Bowes and Brough. On 5 January the road was closed, reopened and closed again.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much salt has been available to  (a) each Lancashire district council and  (b) Lancashire county council in anticipation of its requirement for road-gritting in each of the last three years.

Sadiq Khan: Winter service, including provisioning salt stocks in anticipation of gritting requirements, is a matter for each individual local highway authority. Salt is available on open markets from a range of sources, and the Department for Transport does not regularly monitor authorities' purchases.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to the contribution of Lord Davies of Oldham of 2 February 2004,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column 444, on footpaths and roads: de-icing, whether his Department has issued guidance to local authorities on  (a) the personal liability of householders who seek to clear the pavement or highway of ice or snow and  (b) on whether local authorities should seek to (i) discourage or (ii) encourage householders from clearing highways themselves.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 25 January 2010,  Official Report, column 532W.

Transport: Weston-super-Mare

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when a decision will be made on programme entry for the Weston Transport Package.

Sadiq Khan: A decision on programme entry is due to be made shortly.

Underground Railways: Contracts

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what arrangements his Department has made under the London Underground public-private partnership to ensure the continued operation of the London Underground system in the event of a failure by Tubelines to meets its contractual commitments under the partnership.

Sadiq Khan: Any failure by Tube Lines to meet its contractual commitments is a matter for London Underground Ltd., Transport for London and the Mayor of London under the devolved arrangements set out in the Greater London Authority Act 1999. The Tube Lines PPP contract is available on Transport for London's website.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carer's Allowance

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) England,  (b) Essex and  (c) Braintree constituency receive carer's allowance; and how many of these are in paid employment.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is in the tables.
	
		
			  Carer's allowance cases in payment as at May 2009 
			   Number 
			 England 428,350 
			 Essex 9,350 
			 Braintree parliamentary constituency 710 
			  Notes: 1. Case load totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance and exclude people with underlying entitlement to carer's allowance but where carer's allowance is not in payment. 2. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 3. England total has been derived by summing individual Government office regional totals.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 
		
	
	
		
			  Carer's allowance cases in payment where the recipient is also in employment as at May 2009 
			   Number 
			 England 42,170 
			 Essex 1,080 
			 Braintree parliamentary constituency 90 
			  Notes: 1. Case load totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance and exclude people with underlying entitlement to carer's allowance but where carer's allowance is not in payment. 2. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 3. England total has been derived by summing individual Government office regional totals.  Source:  Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Cold Weather Payments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will make it her policy to determine the award of cold weather payments by geographical area rather than by postcode.

Helen Goodman: Determining the award of cold weather payments by regional areas rather than postcode districts would not reflect temperature variations in local areas effectively enough to enable the finite resources of the scheme to be targeted at those in most need.

Departmental Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which websites her Department's staff are prevented from accessing from departmental networked computers.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the format requested. The Department's staff are prevented from accessing 22 website categories from the Department's networked computers. The categories are:
	Adult/Sexually Explicit
	Alcohol and Tobacco
	Chat
	Criminal Activity
	Downloads
	Gambling
	Games
	Hacking
	Illegal Drugs
	Intolerance and Hate
	Peer-to-Peer
	Personals and Dating
	Phishing and Fraud
	Proxies and Translators
	Ringtones/Mobile Phone Downloads
	Spam URLs
	Spyware
	Streaming Media
	Tasteless and Offensive
	Violence
	Weapons
	Web-based E-mail

Jobseeker's Allowance

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what percentage of pupils permanently excluded from school in  (a) England,  (b) the north-east and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland claimed jobseeker's allowance within three months of leaving school in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the average length of time permanently excluded pupils who subsequently claimed jobseeker's allowance claimed before finding full-time employment in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what proportion of 16 year-olds in  (a) England,  (b) the north-east and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency who left school without five GCSEs at grade A* to C began to claim jobseeker's allowance within six months of leaving school in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available.
	Jobseeker's allowance is not usually payable to under 18s, except those in severe hardship.
	Information on whether a claimant of jobseeker's allowance is or was a permanently excluded student is not collected by the Jobcentre.
	Academic qualifications are collected by the Jobcentre when a claimant applies for jobseeker's allowance however these are not collected on the datasets used to analyse jobseeker's allowance claimants.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people who reached the end of their entitlement to contribution-based jobseeker's allowance went to  (a) claim income-based jobseeker's allowance,  (b) claim Class 1 national insurance credits only  (c) claim another out-of-work benefit and  (d) left benefits in each month since January 2008;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of claimants at the end of an entitlement to contribution-based jobseeker's allowance who  (a) went on to claim income-based jobseeker's allowance,  (b) went on to claim Class 1 national insurance credits only,  (c) went on to claim another out of work benefit and (d) left benefits altogether in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The requested information is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Morecambe

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps her Department has taken to assist those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency to secure employment.

Jim Knight: Government's priority is to ensure that everyone who is out of work has the support they need to find a job. As part of this commitment, the Government have made up to £5 billion available since November 2008 to offer substantial new support to jobseekers, and particularly young people, during the recession.
	In April 2009, we launched an enhanced offer to all jobseekers at day one of their claim which includes targeted group sessions in jobsearch techniques, access to Local Employment Partnership vacancies and access to additional financial support towards the costs associated with finding work. We have also quadrupled funding to the Rapid Response Service which provides advice and support to people facing redundancy.
	When they reach six months of unemployment, all jobseekers are now able to access a substantial new package of support including recruitment subsidies, work-focused training places, volunteering opportunities and support to become self-employed.
	Government have also introduced substantial new support to help young people during the recession, particularly through the Future Jobs Fund, where Lancashire county council have already been successful in a bid to create up to 503 Future Jobs Fund jobs in the local area which will provide valuable opportunities for people in the area.
	The support will be further enhanced from 25 January with the introduction of the Young Person's Guarantee, which guarantees all 18 to 24-year-olds who reach six months of unemployment access to a job, training or work experience. From April 2010, young people will be required to take up one of the places on offer before they complete 10 months on benefit.
	Young people will also be given access to a named Jobcentre Plus Personal Adviser at the start of their claim and have more time with an adviser throughout their claim. And we are offering many more young people day one access to the substantial support that is normally available at six months.
	In addition, 18 to 24-year-olds in Morecambe and Lunesdale who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance for six months have access to the New Deal for Young People, and customers aged 25 and over who have been unemployed for 18 months have access to the New Deal 25 Plus programme. The new Flexible New Deal, which builds on the success of the existing New Deal programmes and offers more personalised and flexible support, will be introduced in Morecambe and Lunesdale from April 2010.

Maternity Benefits: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women resident in Preston have been awarded the Sure Start Maternity Grant since its introduction.

Helen Goodman: The information is not available.

Pathways to Work

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with mental health problems have been referred to the Pathways to Work programme since its inception; and how many of them  (a) were referred to the Condition Management Programme,  (b) moved into employment and  (c) moved back on to benefits within 12 months of moving into employment.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 13 January 2010
	Official statistics are routinely published for employment programmes such as Pathways to Work. Official statistics on Pathways to Work job entries are available up to January 2009 and are published at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/ib_ref_p2w.asp
	Up to April 2009, 100,810 individuals with a mental health condition in Provider-Led Pathways areas and 293,550 individuals in Jobcentre Plus Pathways areas, had started the Pathways to Work programme.
	Up to April 2009, 39,760 individuals with a mental health condition had been referred to the Condition Management Programme in Jobcentre Plus Pathways areas. Figures are not available for Provider-Led Pathways.
	Up to January 2009, 10,070 individuals with a mental health condition in Provider-Led Pathways areas and 54,340 individuals in Jobcentre Plus Pathways areas, had started employment through the Pathways to Work programme.
	In order to look at whether customers have moved back onto benefit within 12 months of starting work, we need to consider an earlier cohort of customers, to allow time to capture any movement back onto benefit.
	Up to May 2008, 37,380 individuals with a mental health condition in Provider-Led Pathways areas and 253,310 individuals in Jobcentre Plus Pathways areas, had started the Pathways to Work programme. Of which 2,110 in Provider-Led Pathways areas and 43,450 individuals in Jobcentre Plus Pathways areas had moved into employment by May 2008. Of which, 740 individuals (35 per cent.) in Provider-Led Pathways areas and 17,590 individuals (40 per cent) in Jobcentre Plus Pathways areas had moved back onto benefit within 12 months of moving into employment.
	The figures relate to those customers whose GPs' diagnosis of their main disabling condition is mental health condition.
	The Government also offer other support to help people with a mental health condition get and keep jobs. Access to Work is a specialist disability programme that helps disabled people overcome work-related obstacles. It is flexible, easy to access and shows high levels of satisfaction from disabled people and their employers. We are doubling the budget for Access to Work to £138 million by 2014 to ensure that everyone who can benefit from the programme is able to access it. We have also developed a range of improvements to the programme, including changes to ensure the programme helps people with mental health conditions more effectively. We will be discussing these changes with stakeholders over the next few months, with the intention of beginning implementation from April 2010.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. Medical condition information is obtained from the individuals GPs' diagnosis of their main disabling condition and is based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. Medical breakdowns are currently available for incapacity benefit /severe disablement allowance customers but not for those of employment and support allowance.
	3. Official statistics use both HMRC data and return to work credit data to calculate how many Pathways customers have moved into employment. This may not include some self-employed people and low earners who fall below the HMRC threshold and do not claim RTWC.
	4. If a person has started Pathways or entered employment more than once in the period, then their first Pathways or employment spell is counted.
	Source:
	DWP Jobcentre Plus and Provider-Led databases

Pathways to Work

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the announcement of the review of the Pathways to Work scheme in her Department's White Paper on Building Britain's Recovery, who will conduct the review; what timetable has been set for that review; when she plans to publish the findings of the review; and what her latest assessment is of the performance of the Pathways to Work scheme.

Jim Knight: holding answer 18 January 2010
	 The review of the support we offer to disabled Jobcentre Plus customers and those with health conditions began in November 2009. It is being conducted by the Department for Work and Pensions. As part of the review we are engaging with a range of delivery partners and external stakeholders and have asked for views from any interested party at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pathways-evidence-gathering-151209.pdf
	The findings of the review and proposals for future support for disabled customers and customers with health conditions will be published in the spring.
	Early evidence from the initial Pathways pilots was very positive, showing that people enquiring about incapacity benefit in Pathways areas were 25 per cent. more likely to be in work at 18 months. Official statistics for the number of job outcomes for those participating in JCP-Led and Provider-Led Pathways are available on the Department's website
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/ib_ref_p2w.asp
	This shows that since October 2003 and as of January 2009 more than 173,000 people have moved into work through Pathways.

Social Security Benefits

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) England,  (b) Essex and  (c) Braintree constituency receive (i) income-related and (ii) contributory employment and support allowance; and how many of these are in paid employment.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on the number of people in paid employment receiving employment and support allowance is not available. The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Employment and support allowance, benefit case load: May 2009 (thousand), in England, local authorities in Essex and Braintree parliamentary constituency 
			Benefit type 
			  Area  Total  Contribution based only  Both  Income based only  No payment-credits only 
			 England 237.25 86.16 16.59 104.39 30.11 
			 Essex county local authorities 5.09 1.92 0.38 2.23 0.58 
			 Braintree parliamentary constituency 0.43 0.16 0.03 0.17 0.07 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures are expressed in thousands and rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 3. The figures relating to employment and support allowance have been thoroughly quality assured to National Statistics standard however it should be noted that this is a new benefit using a new data source which may not have reached steady state in terms of operational processing and retrospection. Hence most recent data shown is provisional. 4. Figures are published on:  http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/esa.asp 5. Figures for the number of employment and support allowance claimants in paid employment are not available. 6. Benefit type-The benefit type is defined as pay status at the case load date-this may differ to the status at the start or end of the claim.  7. Local authority-The figures for Essex county are comprised of Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon, Rochford, Tendring and Uttlesford local authorities. 8. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will bring forward proposals to ensure that a benefit claimant's first sanction for an offence should not involve loss of benefit.

Jim Knight: There are no plans to bring forward such proposals.
	Section 24 of the Welfare Reform Act 2009, to be commenced in April 2010, provides for loss or reduction of benefit for a period of four weeks for a first offence of benefit fraud that results in a conviction, administrative penalty or caution. The aim of this measure is to deter those thinking about committing benefit fraud from doing so. However, those who persist will face a loss or reduction of continuing benefit.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment she has made of the outcome of Operation Golf in respect of identification of benefit fraud originating outside the UK; and  (a) which resources and  (b) how many staff of her Department and its agencies are assigned to the detection of such frauds.

Jim Knight: holding answer 25 January 2010
	Operation Golf is an ongoing Metropolitan Police Service investigation and it will fall to the Metropolitan Police Service to respond. Where appropriate these matters are jointly investigated under a Joint Statement of Intent between the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Metropolitan police. Intelligence suggesting possible benefit abuse arising from Operation Golf is disseminated and referred to DWP and/or Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs for investigation.
	The Fraud Investigation Service was set up as a national service in April 2006 to investigate fraudulent activity against all benefits administered by DWP. The Fraud Investigation Service structure includes two national teams; one specialising in investigating cases where there is a suggestion of serious and/or organised criminality and another in gathering and analysis of intelligence. Resources are deployed in direct proportion to the needs of an investigation.
	As at December 2009, 2,786 staff are employed by the Fraud Investigation Service.

War Pensions: Council Tax

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of local authorities disregard war pension payments for the purposes of means testing for  (a) council tax and  (b) housing benefit.

Helen Goodman: There is a statutory disregard on income from war pensions (war disablement pension, a pension to a war widow or war widower or a similar pension paid to a surviving civil partner) which applies to all income-related benefits including housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	Additionally, local authorities have discretionary powers to further disregard income from war pensions when calculating entitlement to housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	Currently all local authorities provide some form of additional disregard. However, DWP does not maintain a central record of the proportion of income each local authority disregards; this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Housing Pledge

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received from the construction industry on the housing pledge; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The housing pledge was part of the Government's response to the economic crisis. It has provided public investment to deliver new homes and jobs across every region of the country. It was welcomed by Stewart Baseley (Executive Chairman, HBF) as:
	a real boost for potential home owners, the industry and wider economy.

Council Tax Rebanding

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations his Department has received on council tax rebanding; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has received no recent representations regarding council tax rebanding.

Business Rate Revaluation

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which types of business he expects to experience the highest increase in rateable values as a result of the April 2010 business rate revaluation.

Rosie Winterton: The majority of business properties will see their rates bill decrease as a result of revaluation. Our £2 billion transitional relief scheme will limit the impact of the highest increases in 2010-11 rates bills to no more than 11 per cent., and just 3.5 per cent. for small properties.

Business Rate Revaluation

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will conduct an impact assessment on the effect on businesses of the 2010 business rate revaluation.

Rosie Winterton: Regular revaluations are a standard part of the business rates system and are required by statute. We have considered carefully the impact of the 2010 revaluation which is why we are introducing a £2 billion transitional relief scheme. A final impact assessment of our transitional relief scheme for revaluation 2010 was published on 17 November 2009.

Home Information Packs

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodology his Department plans to use to evaluate the effectiveness of the home information pack programme; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: As my hon. Friend the Housing Minister said in response to a written question from the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), 21 January 2010,  Official Report, column 482W, we intend to evaluate the effectiveness of HIPs by updating The HIP Baseline Research Report, published in January 2007. A copy of this report is available on the CLG website.

Economic Regeneration: North West

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the performance of local authorities in promoting economic regeneration in the north-west.

Rosie Winterton: There are many examples of local authority activity to promote economic regeneration in the north-west. Local authorities were recently assessed as part of the joint inspectorate comprehensive area assessment (CAA). The results are publicly available on the Oneplace website.

North West Bicester Eco-town

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to announce the level of growth funding which his Department will provide to Cherwell District Council in respect of the North West Bicester eco-town.

John Healey: I hope to announce the Growth Fund allocation for North West Bicester, and the other three first wave eco-town locations shortly.

Connecting Communities

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's connecting communities programme.

John Denham: We are commissioning a national evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of the connecting communities programme. This will be conducted in two phases, the first phase reporting at the end of June 2010, and the second phase reporting at the end of December 2010.
	Early monitoring through Government offices show a real appetite for the programme at a local level and good early indications of delivery.

Connecting Communities

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have used his Department's connecting communities programme to place people seeking work in vacancies offered under the future jobs fund.

John Denham: The connecting communities programme is providing support to those communities most vulnerable as a result of the recession, focusing on issues of jobs, homes, crime and antisocial behaviour and opportunities for young people.
	There are early indications that the programme is helping people benefit from the Future Jobs Fund. For example, in Nottingham, Aspley neighbourhood, a scheme is being developed to train people to mentor 96 long-term unemployed people who are being supported under the Future Jobs Fund. Last week I visited Athersley and New Lodge in Barnsley and saw how practical actions taken through connecting communities had already helped 16 people from the St. Helens ward access employment.

Audit Commission: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 7 December 2009,  Official Report, column 60W, on the Audit Commission: public relations, if he will make an assessment of the compliance of the Audit Commission's engagement of a public affairs firm with Cabinet Office's guidance on use of public relations consultancy and agencies by non-departmental public bodies.

Rosie Winterton: Although the Audit Commission did not seek advice from the Department, officials have reviewed the information provided by the Audit Commission about the work done for them by public relations firm Connect Public Affairs and are satisfied that this is within the scope of activity allowed under Cabinet Office guidance.
	I have asked officials to write to the Department's executive public bodies to remind them of the guidance relating to publicity and public relations.

Children in Care: Planning Permission

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications for children's homes under Class C2 of the Town and Country Planning Order 1987 were  (a) submitted,  (b) granted and  (c) refused in each local authority in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: This information is not held centrally.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) associated non-departmental public bodies plan to sign up to the 10:10 campaign for cutting carbon usage in 2010; and if he publish the (i) criteria and (ii) research upon which such a decision will be taken.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has already signed up to the 10:10 campaign for cutting carbon emissions by 10 per cent. in 2010; and is committed to working towards this target with its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). CLG understands the 10:10 campaign to relate to carbon emissions from energy use, owned vehicles and air travel.
	The two main decision criteria in signing up were performance to date and the availability of cost-effective carbon reduction opportunities deliverable over the next 12 months.
	The CLG Group, which includes its executive agencies and selected NDPBs, reduced reported emissions from energy use by over 10 per cent. in 2008-09 compared to the previous year and has already reduced emissions from road travel by 30 per cent. compared to the Sustainable Operations (SOGE) target to reduce by 15 per cent. by 2010-11 against 2005-06 levels. Given these recent successes, it is particularly challenging to reduce emissions by a further 10 per cent. in 2010 across such a diverse estate and range of organisations.
	CLG's ongoing research and analysis, which informs its wider Carbon Reduction Delivery Plan, indicates that a further 10 per cent. reduction should be possible across its headquarter estate in 2010. These reductions are expected to be delivered by continued estate rationalisation, upgrade of lighting, heat recovery projects and more efficient operation of plant and machinery. Specific research includes assessments of estate strategies, FM and engineering practices and asset replacement opportunities. These will then be prioritised based on payback and availability of resources.
	In assessing its approach to short term targets such as 10:10, the Department remains mindful of its long term strategy for meeting its Carbon Budget allocations, necessary to deliver the 80 per cent. reduction by 2050, as required by the Climate Change Act 2008.

Departmental Drinking Water

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on bottled drinking water in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the noble Lady Baroness Warsi on 20 May 2009,  Official Report,  House of  Lords, column WA322.

Departmental Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on  (a) strategy and planning,  (b) design and build,  (c) hosting and infrastructure,  (d) content provision and  (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in each of the last three years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2009-10.

Barbara Follett: The Department does not hold website cost information for the year 2006-07. For information on website costs for the year 2007-08 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Khan) on 3 November 2008,  Official Report, column 119W.
	For information on website costs 2008-09 and forecast costs for 2009-10 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell) on 6 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 234-35W.

Departmental Reorganisation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much expenditure was incurred in the  (a) disposal and  (b) modification of signage consequent on the creation of his Department.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government spent £5,000 on replacement signage at the time the Department was created. The Department is unable to provide specific costs for  (a) the disposal and  (b) the modification of signage.

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what average time his Department took to answer questions for  (a) ordinary written answer and  (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Floods: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much  (a) Cumbria County Council and  (b) the Lake District National Park Authority has (i) applied for and (ii) received under the Bellwin scheme in each year since 2004;
	(2)  what funding the Lake District National Park Authority has  (a) received and  (b) applied for under the Bellwin scheme in the last two years.

Rosie Winterton: To date, the Lake District National Park Authority has not applied for or received any funding under the Bellwin scheme. In the case of the most recent Bellwin scheme, for the flooding in Cumbria in November 2009, the authority has registered an intention to claim Bellwin assistance but a formal claim has not yet been received.
	Cumbria county council has similarly registered an intention to claim Bellwin assistance in respect of the November 2009 floods but has not yet submitted a claim. In addition, the county council applied for and received Bellwin grant in respect of the flooding in Cumbria in January 2005. Cumbria county council received £536,487 for this scheme, which was equal to 85 per cent. of eligible costs above a threshold of 0.2 per cent. of its annual revenue budget.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the average deposit paid by a first-time home-buyer.

Ian Austin: The Department does not collect this information.

Housing: Lone Parents

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new additional places in supervised homes the Government plan to fund to house all 16 and 17-year-old single parents.

Ian Austin: £30 million capital funding over three years from Communities and Local Government will provide new places in foyers and specialist supported housing through the National Affordable Housing programme.

Local Government and Fire Services: Pensions

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the provisions relating to public sector pensions announced in the pre-Budget report 2009 will apply to the  (a) local government and  (b) firefighters' pension scheme.

Barbara Follett: The pre-Budget report 2009 stated that cap and share arrangements intended to limit contributions made by employers will apply to the teachers, local government, NHS and civil service pension schemes. Consideration is being given to extending this requirement to the firefighters' pension schemes.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for bringing forward secondary legislation relating to unitary local government restructuring in Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon.

Rosie Winterton: The period for making representations on unitary proposals ended on 19 January 2010. The Secretary of State is now carefully considering the Boundary Committee's advice, all the representations received and all other relevant information, before taking his statutory decisions which he intends to take as soon as practicable.
	If he were to decide to implement any unitary proposal, he intends immediately, or very shortly, after his decision to lay before Parliament a draft of an order, which if approved by Parliament, he would make to give effect to his decision.
	We would therefore expect that, subject to parliamentary approval, any new unitary proposals which the Secretary of State decides to implement would be established on 1 April 2011.

Regeneration: Rural Areas

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times the forum to co-ordinate cross-Government working in coalfield areas met in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009; and who attended each such meeting.

Ian Austin: Since the coalfields forum was established it has met seven times. Details of these meetings are set out as follows.
	
		
			  Date of meeting  Attending organisations 
			 12 July 2007 English Partnerships (EP), Communities and Local Government (CLG), Industrial Communities Alliance (ICA), Coalfields regeneration Trust (CRT), Dept for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Big Lottery Fund (BLF), Lottery Forum (LF), Dept for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), Dept for Transport (DFT), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Learning and Skills Council (LSC) 
			 15 November 2007 EP, CLG, ICA, CRT, Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), DWP, Department of Health (DoH), BLF, LF, DCMS, DfT, Home Office (HO), Job Centre Plus (JCP) 
			 9 July 2008 EP, CLG, Segal Quince Wicksteed (SQW), DIUS, ICA, JCP, DoH, BLF, LF, DCMS, CRT, DfT, DWP 
			 12 February 2009 Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), CRT, CLG, ICA, SQW, DfT 
			 20 May 2009 HCA, CRT, CLG, ICA, DWP, DfT 
			 17 September 2009 HCA, CRT, CLG, ICA, Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), LSC, Yorkshire Forward Regional Development Agency(YF), Wigan local authority 
			 10 December 2009 HCA, CRT, ICA, BIS, DWP, YF, Her Majesty's Treasury, DoH

Repossession Orders: South East

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been repossessed in each  (a) district,  (b) county and  (c) unitary authority area in the south- east in each year since 1990.

Ian Austin: There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage repossessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders latest press release on repossessions is on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/media/press/2456
	The Financial Services Authority data are available on its website at:
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/

Snow and Ice

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration his Department has given to the effectiveness of local authority distribution of car snow chains to individuals affected by cold weather conditions.

Sadiq Khan: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Transport has not considered the effectiveness of this measure. Due to the infrequency of severe snow and ice in the UK, snow chains are likely to be used rarely, and only on minor roads where it may be unrealistic to expect local authorities to bear the responsibility of keeping the roads open.
	Whether to distribute snow chains is a matter for individual local authorities.

Social Rented Housing: South-East

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been built by  (a) social landlords and  (b) local authorities for owner occupation in each (i) district, (ii) county and (iii) unitary authority area in the south-east in each year since 1990.

Ian Austin: A table containing available information on the number of new build dwellings provided for low cost home ownership by registered social landlords in each local authority area of the south-east region since 1991 has been placed in the House Library. The information is based on the location of the dwelling. These figures are homes offered through the shared equity, shared ownership and intermediate rent schemes.
	Not all affordable housing is provided by new build completions, some can be provided through acquisitions.

Social Rented Housing: South-East

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been available for rent from  (a) social landlords and  (b) private landlords in each (i) district, (ii) county and (iii) unitary authority area in the south- east in each year since 1990.

Ian Austin: The term 'social landlords' has been interpreted to mean local authorities and registered social landlords (RSLs).
	Information on the stock of dwellings owned by local authorities as at 1 April each year from 1994 is supplied to Communities and Local Government by local authorities on the annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) returns and is published in live table 116 on the Communities and Local Government website at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/140882.xls
	Reliable estimates of the number of local authority-owned dwellings in each district, county and unitary authority are not available for earlier years.
	Information on the stock of dwellings owned by RSLs as at 31 March each year is supplied to the Tenants Services Authority by RSLs on the Regulatory Statistical Return (RSR) and is published annually from 1997 in live table 115 on the Communities and Local Government website at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/140879.xls
	Information on the number of homes available for rent from private landlords in each district, county or unitary authority is not held centrally. However, estimates of the number of dwellings in the south-east region available for rent from local authorities, RSLs and private landlords, based on survey data, from 1991 are published in live table 109 on the Communities and Local Government website at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table-109.xls

Streatham

Keith Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Streatham constituency, the effects on that constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not available. The Department evaluates the impact of major programmes and policies countrywide. We do not assess the specific impacts on individual areas.
	Details of research projects commissioned by Communities and Local Government and its predecessors are available from our research database (RD) at:
	http://www.rmd.communities.gov.uk/
	The database provides information on projects commissioned by Communities and Local Government and predecessor Departments going back to 30 November 2001. This includes details of evaluations.

Supported Housing

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the media background briefing note accompanying the Prime Minister's announcement on places in supported housing for 16 and 17-year-old single mothers of 29 September 2009, from what part of the social housing budget funding for those places will be drawn.

Ian Austin: Capital funding is being delivered through the Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing programme budget.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council for England: Expenditure

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the reason for the cost of  (a) the finance function of his Department and  (b) the (i) finance function and (ii) IT for Arts Council England referred to in the publication Benchmarking the Back Office: Central Government; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The Department's annual business planning process includes an assessment of structure, costs and performance, which in addition to its strategic purpose aims to identify improvements to efficiency and effectiveness. Further to this as part of the Operational Efficiency programme DCMS is exploring, with arm's length bodies, including Arts Council England, what more can be done to improve performance and deliver efficiency.

Cultural Heritage: Shipping

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress his Department has made on the development and implementation of a policy on historic ships; how many historic vessels have been recorded since the publication of the consultation document, Understanding historic vessels; and where each such vessel is located.

Margaret Hodge: The Department's policy on historic ships was developed in response to the DCMS public consultation on 'Ships for the Nation' in 2003 and the Select Committee hearing on maritime heritage and historic ships in 2004-05. This led to the creation of the advisory committee for national historic ships in July 2006. This committee advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on policy and priorities for the historic ships sector; co-ordinates work within the sector to assist those directly engaged in preservation; and promotes public interest in historic ships as a key component of the maritime heritage.
	The committee receives revenue funding from the Department. In addition to advising on priorities for the sector, the committee uses its funding to compile and maintain the national register of historic vessels; to provide strategic development grants to assist owners, trusts and societies responsible for vessels included on the national register.
	The register for national historic vessels is a database of over 1,000 vessels which can be used to identify and prioritise vessels that should be preserved, provide guidance on how best to allocate funding and give an early warning of any vessels that may be 'at risk'. It allows Government to identify the vessels that are of national and regional significance which may need to be prioritised for long term preservation.
	The committee has also created the 'National Ship Preservation Network' which is an online directory of organisations involved in vessel conservation, allowing owners to access up-to-date information about the skills and services available in their area. In addition to this, the committee has published a range of guidelines on preserving, conserving and deconstructing historic vessels.
	In 2007, the committee carried out a consultation entitled Understanding Historic Vessels. As a result of this, they published two guidance documents called Recording Historic Vessels and Deconstructing Historic Vessels. Recording Historic Vessels is designed to help vessel owners to create and maintain a record of their vessel so that information about the vessel can be preserved for the future. Deconstructing Historic Vessels was designed to help vessel owners carry out any necessary deconstruction work in a way that saves a valuable record of the ship's structure and operational life for future generations. These documents are freely accessible to the public on the Committee's website at:
	http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/pages/advisory-papers.html
	There is no central register to track the use of the guidelines or the results of any recordings. It is impossible therefore to determine how many historic vessels have been recorded using the guidelines and where the vessels are located. The committee have applied the methodologies to Golden Galleon before deconstruction and to HMS Bronington (currently located in Birkenhead) ahead of a possible deconstruction programme.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether  (a) agencies and  (b) non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible sell information on a commercial basis to (i) companies or individuals in the private sector and (ii) other organisations.

Si�n Simon: The Royal Parks does not sell information on a commercial basis to companies or individuals in the private sector and other organisations.
	It is not possible to provide full information for the extensive range of NDPBs for which my Department is responsible, as the information is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in his Department and its agency; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available.

Si�n Simon: The data supporting this answer are for the year 2008-09 as this is the most recent complete financial year.
	In both the Department and the Royal Parks, management layers can be best explained by the existing grading structure. For DCMS, below the permanent secretary, there are seven grades where employees have management responsibilities as part of their normal job role. They consist of the three grade levels within the senior civil service (SCS), and then grades below SCS, grade A (upper), grade A, grade B, and grade C. The most senior grade within the Royal Parks is held by the chief executive officer and the deputy chief executive officer, both of whom are part of the senior civil service. Below them there are four grades where employees have management responsibilities as part of their normal job role. They consist of grade IV board member, grade IV non-board member, grade III and grade II.
	The tables set out how many employees are employed at each grade, salary costs, and associated employment costs.
	
		
			  Management layer (including DCMS equivalent)  DCMS employee numbers( 1)  DCMS salary costs (£)  DCMS associated costs (£)( 2) 
			 SCS 3 (3)5 n/a n/a 
			 SCS 2 11 1,086,597 489,403 
			 SCS 1 26 1,758,939 724,369 
			 Grade A upper (grade 6) 21 1,254,641 442,255 
			 Grade A (grade 7) 97 4,527,559 1,683,533 
			 Grade B (SEO/HEO) 159 5,023,509 1,567,718 
			 Grade C (EO) 102 2,336,983 748,718 
		
	
	
		
			  Management layer (including Royal Parks grade equivalent)  Royal Parks employee numbers  Royal Parks employee costs( 4) 
			 SCS 1 (chief executive and deputy chief executive) 5 n/a 
			 Grade IV board member (grade 6) 5 262,166 
			 Grade IV (grade 7) 13 1,039,481 
			 Grade III executive (SEO/HEO) 22 851,011 
			 Grade II executive (EO) 38 1,513,714 
			 (1) Employee numbers are an average taken over the 12-month period, so the total headcount for each month added together and then divided by 12.  (2) Associated costs relate to employer's national insurance contributions, pension costs, in year and year end non-consolidated performance related payments.  (3) As the number of employees at SCS 3 is less than 5, figures are not reported due to data protection.  (4) These figures are inclusive of employee associated costs (employers' national insurance contributions, pension costs, in year and year end non-consolidated performance payments).

Departmental Public Relations

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2010,  Official Report, column 1068W, on departmental public relations, what services were provided by Edelman; and for how many hours of staff time Edelman charged for those services.

Si�n Simon: Edelman provided services on the cbinet project. Services included network development, stakeholder engagement (including obtaining speakers), delegate recruitment, website development and content, overarching co-ordination, media engagement, event production and the future development of cbinet.
	It is not possible to provide details of staff time charged by Edelman as this information is commercially confidential.

Digital Broadcasting: Scotland

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the effect of digital switchover of radio on local and community commercial radio stations in Scotland; and if his Department will take steps to ensure the continuing financial viability of such stations after switchover.

Si�n Simon: No specific assessment has been made of the impact of digital radio switchover on the local commercial and community radio stations in Scotland.
	The Government are already taking steps, including meeting small local radio stations to discuss their concerns, to ensure that local radio stations continue to thrive after the digital radio switchover.

Digital Broadcasting: Scotland

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with broadcasters to ensure that public service radio broadcasting continues to provide universal coverage to listeners in Scotland after the digital switchover.

Si�n Simon: Discussions with broadcasters and transmission providers on extending Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) coverage to match the existing FM radio coverage began in the Digital Radio Working Group in 2008. These conversations are ongoing.

Official Hospitality

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people attended the cbinet event at The Grove on 26 to 28 October 2009; and how many were  (a) creative ambassadors,  (b) speakers and  (c) representatives of (i) his and (ii) other Government departments.

Si�n Simon: A total of 303 delegates attended the cbinet event at The Grove on 26 to 28 October 2009.
	Of those 303 delegates: 16 were cbinet ambassadors; 65 were speakers, panelists, moderators and contributors; eight were representatives of DCMS; and 17 were representatives of other Government Departments including devolved Administrations.
	Many of the speakers, panelists, moderators and contributors also attended and took part in the event other than for the sessions in which they participated.

Official Hospitality

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who attended his meeting with cbinet ambassadors on 27 July 2009; and what expenditure was incurred on  (a) food,  (b) drink,  (c) travel,  (d) attendance fees and  (e) other expenses in respect of the meeting.

Si�n Simon: I attended the meeting with cbinet ambassadors, along with the Secretary of State, three DCMS officials and nine cbinet ambassadors.
	Refreshments were provided, at an estimated total cost of £30. No other expenses were incurred.

Snow and Ice

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department arising from the severe weather conditions in the period 4 January to 18 January 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: There were no additional costs to the Department arising from the severe weather in January 2010.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Crimes of Violence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital accident and emergency staff in each region were hospitalised as a result of being assaulted while on duty in each of the last two years.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of hospital accident and emergency staff in each region hospitalised as a result of being assaulted while on duty is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the number of reported physical assaults against national health service staff in England is contained in the tables showing number of reported physical assaults on national health service staff from 2004-05 to 2007-08, broken down by NHS trust/PCT and tables showing number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff in 2008-09, broken down by NHS trust/PCT which have already been placed in the Library.
	The NHS Security Management Service (SMS) can assist employers through guidance on assessing risks and acting to protect staff from assaults and, where incidents do occur, on taking action against offenders. The NHS SMS also works with stakeholders, including the Social Partnership Forum, to promote the safety and security of NHS staff.

Ambulance Services: Snow and Ice

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of recent severe weather conditions on ambulance response times in  (a) the Ribble Valley,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) England.

Mike O'Brien: This is a matter for the local national health service. The NHS, as part of its planning process, ensures operational challenges, such as adverse weather are factored into local contingency plans, including the effect on ambulance response times.

Cardiovascular System: Screening

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to monitor the take-up of the NHS Vascular Checks programme for people aged between 40 and 74; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The NHS Health Check programme is a Tier 3 Vital Sign in the NHS Operating Framework 2010-11. Consequently, strategic health authorities play a significant role in monitoring the roll-out of the programme locally. To support national understanding of the pace of implementation of the programme, data will be collected by the Department from 1 April 2010 on the number of people between the ages of 40 and 74 who have received an NHS Health Check. An NHS Health Check data set is also being developed which will enable the national health service to observe the progress of the programme in more detail.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on  (a) new furnishings,  (b) works of art and  (c) new vehicles in each of the last two years.

Phil Hope: The Department spent the following sums in each of the last two full financial years:
	
		
			  New furnishings 
			   £ 
			 2007-08 675,017.65 
			 2008-09 738,032.99 
		
	
	
		
			  Works of a rt 
			   £ 
			 2007-08 Nil 
			 2008-09 Nil 
		
	
	The Department acquires any works of art from the Government art collection.
	
		
			  New vehicles 
			   £ 
			 2007-08 Nil 
			 2008-09 Nil

Drugs: Misuse

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under the age of 18 were admitted to hospital with an  (a) primary and  (b) secondary diagnosis of poisoning by drugs in each strategic health authority in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The information requested is in the following tables.
	These data include admissions in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. These data are not a count of 'people' as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion with one of the specified diagnosis codes. Those admitted with a primary diagnosis of poisoning by drugs, may also have had an additional secondary diagnosis of poisoning by drugs.
	
		
			  Count of finished admission episodes where 'poisoning by drugs' was coded in a primary diagnosis field or any secondary diagnosis field, for those aged under 18 by strategic health authority (SHA) of residence for the years 2006-07 to 2008-09. 
			2008-09  2007-08  2006-07 
			  SHA code  SHA of residence description  Primary diagnosis  Secondary diagnosis  Primary diagnosis  Secondary diagnosis  Primary diagnosis  Secondary diagnosis 
			 Q30 North-east strategic health authority 1,230 27 1,308 34 1,329 22 
			 Q31 North-west strategic health authority 2,953 67 3,360 111 3,179 118 
			 Q32 Yorkshire and the Humber strategic health authority 1,872 55 1,959 53 2,001 76 
			 Q33 East midlands strategic health authority 1,523 42 1,654 50 1,508 40 
			 Q34 West midlands strategic health authority 2,045 46 2,131 46 2,165 45 
			 Q35 East of England strategic health authority 1,263 39 1,371 37 1,331 25 
			 Q36 London strategic health authority 1,666 44 1,738 59 1,650 54 
			 Q37 South-east coast strategic health authority 1,366 42 1,380 31 1,246 34 
			 Q38 South-central strategic health authority 1,285 40 1,295 34 1,265 29 
			 Q39 South-west strategic health authority 1,750 34 1,914 54 1822 54 
			 Q99 Wales 62 1 62 1 44 3 
			 S Scotland 10 0 8 0 7 0 
			 U England-not otherwise specified 43 1 49 0 41 2 
			 X Foreign (incl. Isle of Man and Channel Islands) 20 2 7 1 15 4 
			 Y Unknown 81 4 149 12 81 9 
			 Z Northern Ireland 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			  Total 17,169 444 18,386 523 17,685 515 
			  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care 
		
	
	
		
			  Count of finished admission episodes where 'poisoning by drugs' was coded in a primary diagnosis field or any secondary diagnosis field, for those aged under 18 by SHA of residence for the years 2004-05 to 2005-06 
			2005-06  2004-05 
			  SHA code  SHA of residence description  Primary diagnosis  Secondary diagnosis  Primary diagnosis  Secondary diagnosis 
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic HA 683 18 627 16 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic HA 312 9 325 13 
			 Q03 Essex Strategic HA 309 8 255 6 
			 Q04 North West London Strategic HA 325 29 257 10 
			 Q05 North Central London Strategic HA 327 13 293 12 
			 Q06 North East London Strategic HA 426 12 383 15 
			 Q07 South East London Strategic HA 327 7 357 13 
			 Q08 South West London Strategic HA 295 15 249 8 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic HA 703 11 568 15 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic HA 632 9 588 9 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic HA 604 13 554 19 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire Strategic HA 824 23 877 19 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic HA 927 26 819 22 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester Strategic HA 1,241 40 1,016 32 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic HA 1,029 29 902 34 
			 Q16 Thames Valley Strategic HA 638 10 590 17 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic HA 755 25 656 16 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway Strategic HA 540 10 496 8 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex Strategic HA 814 22 619 25 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic HA 905 29 755 23 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula Strategic HA 562 20 531 11 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset Strategic HA 467 15 389 10 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire Strategic HA 427 30 381 15 
			 Q24 Trent Strategic HA 907 18 986 23 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Strategic HA 556 10 464 10 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic HA 559 20 542 8 
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country Strategic HA 1,091 25 951 26 
			 Q28 West Midlands South Strategic HA 624 13 499 14 
			 Q99 Wales 53 1 45 4 
			 S Scotland 6 0 4 0 
			 U England-not otherwise specified 56 4 45 4 
			 X Foreign (incl. Isle of Man  Channel Islands) 13 0 19 1 
			 Y Unknown 82 6 61 16 
			 Z Northern Ireland 1 0 0 0 
			 Total  18,020 520 16,103 474 
			  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care 
		
	
	The ICD-10 code categories for poisoning (either self-inflicted or accidental), are as follows and include overdose of these substances:
	T36: Poisoning by systemic antibiotics
	T37: Poisoning by other systemic anti-infectives and antiparasitics
	T38: Poisoning by hormones and their synthetic substitutes and antagonists, not elsewhere classified
	T39: Poisoning by nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics and antirheumatics
	T40: Poisoning by narcotics and psychodysleptics (hallucinogens)
	T41: Poisoning by anaesthetics and therapeutic gases
	T42: Poisoning by antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic and antiparkinsonism drugs
	T43: Poisoning by psychotropic drugs, not elsewhere classified
	T44: Poisoning by drugs primarily affecting the autonomic nervous system
	T45: Poisoning by primarily systemic and haematological agents, not elsewhere classified
	T46: Poisoning by agents primarily affecting the cardiovascular system
	T47: Poisoning by agents primarily affecting the gastrointestinal system
	T48: Poisoning by agents primarily acting on smooth and skeletal muscles and the respiratory system
	T49: Poisoning by topical agents primarily affecting skin and mucous membrane and by ophthalmological, otorhinolaryngological and dental drugs
	T50: Poisoning by diuretics and other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with which countries the NHS has reciprocal arrangements for health treatment.

Gillian Merron: The United Kingdom has reciprocal health care obligations under European Union regulations, which co-ordinate social security including sickness, maternity and equivalent paternity benefits in kind, in the European Economic Area and Switzerland.
	In addition, the United Kingdom has bilateral health care agreements with the following:
	Anguilla
	Armenia
	Australia
	Azerbaijan
	Barbados
	Bosnia
	British Virgin Islands
	Croatia
	Falkland Islands
	Georgia
	Gibraltar
	Isle of Man
	Kazakhstan
	Kyrgyzstan
	Macedonia
	Moldova
	Montserrat
	New Zealand
	Russia
	Serbia
	St. Helena
	Tajikistan
	Turkmenistan
	Turks and Caicos Islands
	Ukraine
	Uzbekistan.

Health: Screening

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many  (a) GP surgeries and  (b) pharmacies in England are providing NHS Health Checks to people aged between 40 and 74;
	(2)  what systems his Department has in place to assess the use of funding allocated for the implementation of NHS Health Checks.

Ann Keen: Primary care trusts (PCTs) began phased implementation of the NHS Health Check programme in April 2009.
	It is for PCTs to decide how to deliver the NHS Health Check programme in a way that best suits the needs of their local population. There are different ways that PCTs may choose to do this and could include the use of general practitioner (GP) surgeries, pharmacies and other community settings, or a combination of these. There is no centrally collected information on how many GP surgeries, pharmacies and other settings are being used to provide NHS Health Checks. Funding for the programme is not ring-fenced and provided as part of general PCT allocations. Data on spend by PCTs on implementing the programme are not collected centrally.

Life Expectancy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average life expectancy was for people in each  (a) local authority and  (b) health authority area in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated January 2010:
	The Director General for the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the average life expectancy was for people in each (a) local authority and (b) health authority area in each of the last three years. I am replying in his absence. (311722)
	Life expectancy figures are calculated as three-year rolling averages, and are published annually by ONS . The tables provide the period life expectancy at birth for males and females in each (a) local authority in England and Wales (Table 1), and  (b) primary care organisation in England and local health board in Wales (Table 2), for the 2006-08 period (the latest figures available). A copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Livestock: Disease Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons guidance on food chain information for keepers of cattle, sheep and goats regarding procedure for animals sent to slaughter after 1 January 2010 was not issued until 30 December 2009.

Gillian Merron: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that European Union food hygiene regulations place a responsibility on slaughterhouse operators to request and receive food chain information for all animals sent for slaughter for human consumption. This requirement entered into force for cattle, sheep and goats on 1 January 2010.
	In November 2009, the FSA wrote to all slaughterhouse operators to inform them of this responsibility and advise them to contact their livestock suppliers to make appropriate arrangements. In addition, in late November/early December 2009, the FSA undertook a number of initiatives to publicise the new requirements widely including to livestock keepers.
	Subsequently, in response to a request from cattle and sheep industry representative bodies, the FSA also collaborated with them to produce guidance for livestock keepers. This guidance was finalised and placed on the FSA website on 23 December 2009:
	www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/foodchaininfofactsheet.pdf.
	Hard copies of the guidance were distributed to all slaughterhouse operators and livestock markets on 29 December 2009.

Mental Health Services: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to the provision of cognitive behavioural therapy in the Birmingham area in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: Data are not available for 2007-08 and 2008-09.
	The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Programme is rolling out new psychological therapy services across England. To date, funds have been allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs) as they have established new IAPT services, but from 1 April 2010, funding for IAPT services will be in PCT baselines. It should also be noted that many PCTs have made further local investment, alongside the centrally allocated funding, to ensure IAPT services serve more people.
	In the Birmingham area, three PCTs (Heart of Birmingham, North and East Birmingham, and South Birmingham) have established a single IAPT service with £1.692 million investment of central funds. There has also been significant local investment made alongside this central money. This investment was made in 2009-10, with the services going live in autumn 2009.
	Information about any further local investment in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and IAPT services in primary care settings can be obtained directly from the local PCTs concerned. However, CBT may also be delivered as part of care packages in secondary mental health services, which provide services to those with severe and enduring mental health problems.

Neurology: Children

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the review of paediatric neurological services by the National Specialised Commissioning Group; and what effects he expects the outcomes of the review to have upon service provision at Wessex Neurological Centre.

Ann Keen: The National Specialised Commissioning Group (NSCG) has set up a steering group with members from the Society of British Neurological Surgeons, the British Paediatric Neurosurgery Group and other relevant professional associations to review delivery of paediatric neurosurgical services in England. The review is making good progress; it has published draft service standards for discussion with a wide range of stakeholders and is looking at the evidence base for possible reconfiguration of services and potential models of care.
	No key decisions on the future planning or delivery of paediatric neurosurgical services in England have yet been made and we cannot prejudge the outcome of the review, but the aim of the review is to ensure safe and sustainable paediatric neurosurgical services for all children in England, and their families, regardless of where they live or which hospital delivers their care.

NHS: Accountancy

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Health Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government on the application to NHS charity funds associated with hospitals in Wales of proposed changes to NHS accounting standards.

Phil Hope: Ministers have not had any discussion on this issue with the Health Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government.

NHS: Contracts

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to the merits of extending the Joint Statement on Access to Skills, Advice and Trade Unions to include the NHS.

Ann Keen: We have agreed that the Joint Statement on Access to Skills, Advice and Trade Unions should be extended to new and re-let NHS contracts.

NHS: Ministers of Religion

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much was spent by  (a) his Department and  (b) the NHS on chaplaincy services in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much was spent by  (a) his Department and  (b) the national health service on chaplaincy services in 2008-09.

Phil Hope: National health service bodies are not required to report their planned or actual spending on chaplaincy and related services to the Department. When planning such services, NHS bodies should take due account of their legal duties, the composition of the communities they serve, and the needs and circumstances of their patients, service users and local populations.
	The Department recognises the important role played by faith organisations in supporting the NHS to deliver multi-faith chaplaincy services and has established a chaplaincy grants programme to fund a range of faith organisations to support health-care chaplaincy. Over the past five years, the total funding made available has been as follows:
	
		
			  (£) 
			 2009-10 186,000 
			 2008-09 185,000 
			 2007-08 180,000 
			 2006-07 (1)180,000 
			 2005-06 (1)180,000 
			 (1) Approximately

Obesity: Children

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the  (a) levels of obesity and  (b) overall health of schoolchildren in England in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The Health Survey for England (HSE) 2008 contains information on the percentage of children aged two-15 who are obese in each of the last three years. This information has already been placed in the Library. The data indicate that the prevalence of obesity in children aged two-10 is levelling out. In children aged 11-15 the prevalence has increased.
	The NHS Information Centre has undertaken annual surveys of smoking, drinking and drug use among young people aged 11-15, carried out in schools across England. The annual surveys for each of the last three years have been placed in the Library. In addition, trend table 8 in the HSE 2008 contains information on children's general health.
	Further information is also collected in the Tellus Survey that asks children and young people questions covering the five Every Child Matters outcomes including the 'Be Healthy' outcome.

Patients

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to evaluate the effectiveness of self-care by patients; what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of self-care among GPs and patients; what educational programmes his Department plans to implement to encourage the early adoption of this approach; and what safeguards are in place to discourage the inappropriate use of self-care by patients diagnosed with conditions which require medical intervention.

Ann Keen: Patients are routinely asked for their feedback on the support they receive to self-care and its effectiveness through the GP Tracker Survey and the IPSOS MORI self-care survey.
	The Department worked with Skills for Health and Skills for Care who published the Common Core Principles to Support Self Care (May 2008) setting out the skills attitudes and behaviours to support individuals to self-care. In addition a web-based training module for clinicians and other professionals is available through the national learning management system-Supporting Self Care was developed with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the Department's e-learning for Healthcare.
	Information for patients on self-care choices and service options has been made available with the development of Your health, your way. This web-based initiative on NHS Choices is supported by a patient information leaflet and information and resources for healthcare professionals. In the recent national Self Care Week (9-15 November 2009) which aimed to raise awareness of Your health, your way and the choices of self-care support available, visits to the website doubled.
	The Department continues to support and engage with the Expert Patients programme as one of the options to provide education for people with long terms conditions (LTCs) that can help them access services more appropriately and to self-care more effectively. This is in addition to other choices of support in terms of information about the condition, tools and equipment to help people stay independent, access to support groups, and healthy lifestyle advice.
	The Department's self-care strategy focuses on supporting people with LTCs through a process of care planning which enables them to take a more active and informed role in decisions about their health and well-being. This includes information, choices, shared decision making and ongoing support to self-care as part of a care planning discussion with their health-care professional. A personalised care plan, developed and regularly reviewed with a lead professional from among the team of staff who help manage their care will mean a person will have more control over the care packages they receive. In this way the chances of any unplanned emergencies or deterioration in that person's condition should be minimised. Information about care plans and care planning is included in the Your health, your way and self-care materials.

Perinatal Mortality

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intrapartum deaths of babies occurred in each primary care trust (PCT) in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what the population served by each PCT is.

Ann Keen: The information for 2003-07 has been placed in the Library.

Social Services: Vulnerable Adults

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which local authorities provide  (a) only critical,  (b) only substantial and  (c) both critical and substantial care for adults classed as the most vulnerable.

Phil Hope: The information is not collected centrally.
	Information provided by the Care Quality Commission shows that, in 2009, three councils met only critical needs and 107 councils met both critical and substantial needs.

Swine Flu: Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of those diagnosed with swine influenza have received Tamiflu in the last 12-months.

Gillian Merron: Since the National Pandemic Flu Service (NPFS) was launched on 23 July 2009 it has been used to assess most people who have swine flu symptoms to determine whether they need an antiviral. If an antiviral is authorised the individual will be given an authorisation number. Between 23 July and 12 January 2010, 1,748,866 people who used the NPFS service were given an authorisation to receive Tamiflu. Of these, 1,125,633 people collected Tamiflu from an antiviral collection point, this is approximately 64 per cent.
	These figures relate solely to Tamiflu collected through the NPFS. Data on antivirals distributed through normal primary care routes is still being collated.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence his Department has evaluated on adverse side effects arising from use of vaccines distributed during the current swine influenza epidemic.

Gillian Merron: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has in place a proactive safety monitoring strategy for the swine influenza vaccines currently in use in the United Kingdom. As part of this, the MHRA established a dedicated reporting system, an adjunct to the existing Yellow Card scheme, for suspected side effects to the vaccines.
	The strategy involves daily analysis of all suspected side effect reports, a real-time statistical analysis of the data and weekly publication of its ongoing review on the MHRA website:
	www.mhra.gov.uk/swineflu
	As well as such data arising from the UK reporting scheme, the MHRA has been fully involved in evaluating similar safety data from across Europe, as well as emerging safety data from ongoing clinical studies.
	The MHRA's analysis has so far found that the number and the nature of suspected side effects reported to date accord with expectations. The most frequently reported suspected side effects are injection site reactions (such as pain, swelling, redness), or are well known and common side effects of many vaccines, including the swine flu vaccines (such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, muscle pain, fever, fatigue, headaches, swollen glands). These are generally mild and short-lasting.
	No unexpected or serious new safety issues have been identified from UK and non-UK safety data received to date. The balance of benefits and risks for swine flu vaccines used in the UK remains positive. As with all medicines and vaccines on the UK market, the MHRA will keep the safety of swine flu vaccines under close review.

Transplant Surgery

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what proportion of bone marrow transplant cases was the patient still alive five years after surgery in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: This information is not collected centrally.

Wheelchairs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam of 19 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1321W, on wheelchairs, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report and proposal made to the NHS Board.

Phil Hope: The Department is in the process of refining the 2008 proposals for wheelchair services in partnership with the national health service, third sector organisations, service users and other key stakeholders. A multi-agency Wheelchair and Seating Services Advisory Group has been established to co-produce an updated model by April 2010 that reflects recent developments in health and care policy. This revised model will be placed in the Library.
	The first meeting of the Advisory Group is scheduled for 26 January 2010.

Wheelchairs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of the  (a) internal and  (b) external reports and proposals produced by the Transforming Community Equipment and Wheelchair Services programme.

Phil Hope: Previous internal and external reports and proposals for Transforming Community Equipment (TCE) focused on the rationale for change and model design. These reports have now been superseded by the implementation phase of the programme, with the focus now being on the production of implementation tools for local authorities and health partnerships. A public summary report, 'Community Equipment Outline Retail Model', was published to the former Care Services Efficiency Delivery website between June 2007 and May 2008. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library.
	The Department is in the process of refining the 2008 proposals for wheelchair services in partnership with the national health service, third sector organisations, service users and other key stakeholders. A multi-agency Wheelchair and Seating Services Advisory Group has been established to co-produce an updated model by April 2010 that reflects recent developments in health and care policy. This revised model will be placed in the Library.
	The first meeting of the Advisory Group is scheduled for 26 January 2010.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to answer Question 300302, on departmental pay, tabled on 18 November 2009.

Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 25 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 544-46W.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the Prime Minister's statement of 30 November 2009,  Official Report, columns 831-36, on Afghanistan and Pakistan, on what date it was agreed with the Afghan government that the 600 Afghan soldiers would be deployed to Helmand;
	(2)  pursuant to the Prime Minister's statement of 30 November 2009,  Official Report, columns 831-36, on Afghanistan and Pakistan, on what date it was agreed with the Afghan government that the further 10 Afghan companies would be deployed to Helmand;
	(3)  when he plans to answer question 304940, on the deployment of 10 Afghan companies in Helmand province tabled on 2 December 2009;
	(4)  when he plans to answer question 304938 on the deployment of 600 Afghan soldiers in Helmand province tabled on 2 December 2009.

Bob Ainsworth: I am sorry for the delay in answering these questions.
	On 13 October 2009, the Prime Minister received assurances from President Karzai that Afghan troops would be trained to fight alongside UK forces in Helmand, 14 October 2009,  Official Report, column 301. Between then and his statement to the House on 30 November 2009,  Official Report, columns 831-36, the Prime Minister also discussed the developing situation with President Karzai on a number of occasions.

Air Force: Training

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training hours fast jet pilots spent on average in each aircraft type in the Royal Air Force in each  (a) year since 2005 and  (b) month of 2009.

Bill Rammell: The training hours for fast jet pilots spent on average for each aircraft type in the Royal Air Force for the periods specified are given in the following tables. The information relates to pilots from frontline fast jet squadrons only and includes, in addition to normal frontline flying, the total hours flown while on operations, all of which include some element of training to improve pilot skills. By way of illustration approximately 40 per cent. of the Harrier and 30 per cent. of the Tornado GR4 hours in the table were actually consumed on operations. A proportion of Typhoon and Tornado F3 hours were consumed in the Falkland Islands and performing Quick Reaction Alert missions. All hours include some transit flying to operational theatres and to overseas exercises or training areas. To break down these hours between operational and training would incur disproportionate cost.
	Average pilot flying hours for the Hawk training aircraft and the testing, evaluation and conversion training for all fast jet types are not included.
	The reduction in flying hours for Tornado F3 in 2008-09 is attributable to the effects of the ongoing withdrawal from service of the fleet.
	The reduction in flying hours for Tornado GR4 in 2008-09 is attributable to a variety of factors primarily the availability of aircraft for UK training as maintenance and modification activity was prioritised to deliver aircraft for operations.
	
		
			  Average pilot operational and training flying hours 
			   FY 
			  Fast jet type  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Jaguar 225 197 (1)- (1)- 
			 Tornado F3 204 220 (2)- 122 
			 Tornado GR4 231 265 231 172 
			 Harrier 202 213 226 203 
			 Typhoon (3)0 163 193 168 
			 (1) Type not in service. (2) Not available-data for the Tornado F3 are not held centrally for 2007-08; figures for that year could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (3) The first frontline Typhoon Squadron did not stand up until FY 2006-07. 
		
	
	
		
			   Average actual monthly front line pilot operational and training flying hours 
			  2009  Tornado F3  Tornado GR4  Harrier( 1)  Typhoon 
			 April 9 13 18 16 
			 May 7 10 23 14 
			 June 9 12 21 13 
			 July 6 15 12 14 
			 August 9 12 4 12 
			 September 9 17 12 12 
			 October 10 15 8 12 
			 (1) Harrier Force returned from supporting operations in Afghanistan thus flying hours are reduced from June.

Armed Forces: Divorce

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of personnel in each service were  (a) divorced and  (b) separated from a spouse in each year since 2001.

Kevan Jones: The following table shows annual divorce rates and number of divorces for Army and RAF personnel for each year since 1997. Royal Naval data groups 'Separated', 'Divorced' and 'Widowed' together. Separation numbers and percentages cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Army and RAF divorces and rate as a percentage of average married strength: 2001-06 
			2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006( 1) 
			 Army(2) Number 1,130 1,310 1,210 1,200 1,040 930 
			  Rate (percentage) 2.2 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.1 1.9 
			 
			 RAF Number 620 590 520 580 570 n/a 
			  Rate (percentage) 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.9 1.9 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Figures for 2006 are for the 12 month period up to 1 December 2006. (2) For 2001, annulments are excluded from the calculations for divorce rates, as the information was not available, however the remaining years do include annulments in their calculation.  Notes: 1, Figures are for UK Regular Forces, and exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service personnel, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. Figures are for Trained and Untrained personnel excluding Officer Designates. 2. Rates are calculated as a percentage of the average married strength during the calendar years. 
		
	
	Figures in the form requested are unavailable after 1 December 2006 following the implementation of the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system.
	Personal marital status is now recorded in a different way in order to determine entitlement to allowances and service families' accommodation. These categories are:
	PStat 1-A member of the armed forces who is married or in a registered civil partnership.
	PStat 2-A member of the armed forces who has main parental responsibility for dependant children.
	PStat 3-A member of the armed forces, not in PStat 1 or 2 who provides financial support to former spouse/partner by voluntary agreement.
	PStat 4-A member of the armed forces, not in PStat 1 or 2 who provides financial support to former spouse/partner by way of a court order.
	PStat 5-All other members of the armed forces.

Armed Forces: Housing

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many homes his Department sold in each local authority area in Scotland in each of the last two years; and how many were sold or otherwise transferred to  (a) the relevant local authority and  (b) a registered social landlord.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 25 January 2010
	Service family homes are disposed of when they become surplus to requirements. Details of properties sold in Scotland by each local authority area (LAA) in the last two financial years are as follows:
	
		
			  LAA  Sold to registered social landlord  Sold to local authority  Total number of houses sold 
			  Financial year 2008-09
			 Angus council - - 4 
			 Highland council - - 1 
			 Stirling council - - 1 
			 Fife council 22 - 39 
			 City of Edinburgh - - 17 
			 City of Glasgow - - 2 
			 Moray council - - 321 
			 Perth and Kinross - - 5 
			 East Dunbartonshire council - - 2 
			 Midlothian council 15 - 15 
			 Total all areas 37 - 407 
			 
			  Financial year 2009-10
			 Fife council - - 10 
			 City of Edinburgh - - 5 
			 Perth and Kinross council - - 1 
			 East Dunbartonshire council - - 1 
			 Midlothian council - - 7 
			 Shetland Islands council - - 3 
			 Total all areas - - 27 
		
	
	An additional seven houses in the Midlothian council LAA are in the process of being sold to a registered social landlord.
	16 houses in the Moray council LAA have also been leased to Moray council to provide housing for families affected by severe flooding which took place last year.

Armed Forces: Housing

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of  (a) single living accommodation and  (b) service family accommodation units are in each grade in each region of the UK.

Kevan Jones: The condition survey of service family accommodation (SFA) properties in England and Wales is due to be completed by April 2010. Of those properties surveyed, at 31 December 2009 the following are at each Standard for Condition (SfC):
	
		
			   S1fC  S2fC  S3fC  S4fC 
			  Zone  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 North 2,203 55.5 1,665 42.0 83 2.0 17 0.4 
			 West (including Wales) 1,453 49.8 1,392 47.7 72 2.5 1 0.1 
			 East 2,299 48.2 2,339 49.0 127 2.6 6 0.1 
			 South East 2,926 35.7 4,959 60.5 229 2.8 88 1.1 
			 South West 2,503 29.8 5,605 66.8 240 2.8 40 0.5 
			 London 1,334 24.7 3,729 69.1 283 5.2 52 1.0 
			 Totals 12,718 37.8 19,689 58.5 1,034 3.1 204 0.6 
		
	
	Similar surveys of SFA in Scotland and Northern Ireland will be carried out in due course.
	Single living accommodation (SLA) is assessed for its Grade for Charge, which sets the level of charges to be paid by occupants. This grade reflects the accommodation's proximity to local facilities like train stations or post offices; local disturbances like aircraft noise as well as the condition of the property. As at December 2008, the latest date for which data are available, UK SLA was at the following grade:
	
		
			   Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  Grade 4 
			  Government office region  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			 East Midlands 1,488 23 809 12 265 4 3,975 61 
			 East of England 3,989 32 2,680 22 2,337 19 3,289 27 
			 London 129 3 1,147 29 654 16 2,066 52 
			 North East 417 16 159 6 1,423 55 611 23 
			 North West 101 8 417 32 737 56 57 4 
			 South East 7,221 19 4,813 12 4,239 11 22,382 58 
			 South West 8,764 29 3,164 10 4,230 14 14,001 46 
			 West Midlands 1,236 19 1,129 17 1,907 29 2,216 34 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3,589 31 742 6 2,240 19 5,040 43 
			 Scotland 2,443 33 1,527 21 2,096 28 1,335 18 
			 Northern Ireland 1,445 36 971 24 900 22 717 18 
			 Wales 427 15 489 17 76 3 1,805 65 
			 Grand total 31,249 24.4 18,047 14.1 21,104 16.5 57,494 45.0

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which 50 substitute  (a) service family and  (b) single living accommodation properties in Scotland had the highest rent in the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 25 January 2010
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 20 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 348-50W.

Chinook Helicopters

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 15 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 99-100WS, on future rotary wing strategy, 
	(1)  when he expects to sign contracts for the 22 additional Chinook helicopters;
	(2)  whether he expects to order the additional 22 Chinook helicopters through  (a) foreign military sales orders with the US administration,  (b) direct commercial purchase from Boeing Company and  (c) Finmeccanica in Italy;
	(3)  whether the additional 22 Chinook helicopters will be fitted with the Julius standard flight deck.

Bob Ainsworth: Work is ongoing on the acquisition of the 22 new Chinook helicopters. It is anticipated that the contract covering preliminary development work and long-lead items for the initial aircraft deliveries will be placed in the coming months once the associated formal investment business case has been approved. The Procurement Strategy, including the procurement route, will be considered as part of the formal investment case. No decision has yet been taken on the cockpit flight deck. The configuration of the aircraft, including the cockpit flight deck, will be determined as part of the initial development work.

Departmental Manpower

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian staff of his Department were in its redeployment pool on 1  (a) January,  (b) April,  (c) July and  (d) October 2009.

Bob Ainsworth: The redeployment pool is used to give redeployment priority to employees who are due to become surplus or who have become surplus due to reorganisation or restructuring. The population of the redeployment pool changes daily as surplus staff find new posts and others give notice that they are due to become surplus. As a snap shot, the numbers in the redeployment pool on the dates specified are provided as follows.
	
		
			   Number 
			 1 January 2009 937 
			 1 April 2009 709 
			 1 July 2009 682 
			 1 October 2009 734 
		
	
	Staff in the redeployment pool continue to carry out work in the Department while they seek an alternative permanent appointment.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) mobile telephones and  (b) BlackBerrys have been provided to (i) Ministers and (ii) special advisers in his Department in 2009-10 to date; and at what cost to the public purse.

Bob Ainsworth: In financial year 2009-10 to date, Ministers have been provided with one mobile phone at a cost of £155, and special advisers with one BlackBerry at a cost of £50. All expenditure is in line with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Pay

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) average and  (b) highest non-consolidated performance related payment in cash terms was for senior civil servants in his Department, in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: Average and highest non-consolidated performance related payments made to senior civil servants in the Ministry of Defence over the last five years are provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  Permanent senior civil servants 
			  £ 
			   Performance year 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Paid in financial year 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Average 5,233 6,511 7,127 8,030 8,177 
			 Highest 12,500 16,000 17,600 (1)17,000 15,000 
			 (1) Payment of £22,500 was available this year but not awarded. 
		
	
	
		
			  Senior fixed term appointees 
			  £ 
			   Performance year 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Paid in financial year 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Average 7,243 7,850 20,994 25,041 31,890 
			 Highest 14,340 12,546 50,000 50,000 84,563

Haiti: Military Aid

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there are plans to deploy elements of  (a) the NATO Response Force and  (b) an EU Battlegroup to Haiti.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 25 January 2010
	There are currently no plans to deploy elements of the NATO Response Force or an EU Battlegroup to Haiti.

Haiti: Military Aid

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether he plans to use HMS Ironduke to assist in the humanitarian effort in Haiti;
	(2)  whether he plans to provide support from the military security and stabilisation teams to assist with the humanitarian effort in Haiti.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 25 January 2010
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Veterans on 21 January 2010,  Official Report, column 439W. The Ministry of Defence continues to take an active role in the UK response, and will provide further assistance where possible if required.

Help for Heroes

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much public funding has been awarded for the rehabilitation work of Help for Heroes  (a) in total and  (b) in Wales in each of the last five years.

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding his Department has provided for the rehabilitation work of Help for Heroes in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 25 January 2010
	Help for Heroes is a service charity which was established in 2007 and which raises funds to support wounded members of the armed forces in a range of different ways. As such it receives no public funding from the MOD. Help for Heroes naturally works closely with my Department on the projects that it chooses to support, but decisions on what those projects should be are a matter for the charity. We are enormously grateful for the major contributions that it is making to the welfare of our service personnel across the country. They include a grant of £8 million to support the building of a new swimming pool and gym complex at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court, Surrey, and financial support for the delivery, in partnership with the MOD, of a Pathfinder Army Recovery Centre in Edinburgh.

Milngavie Reservoir: Security

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent discussions or correspondence he has had with representatives of Scottish Water on the security fences around Milngavie reservoir;
	(2)  what threat the security fences around Milngavie reservoir are intended to address; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of the requirement for security fences around Milngavie reservoir.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 11 January 2010
	This is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of Scottish Ministers, as the Milngavie reservoir is not an MOD site. On this occasion, the MOD's general advisory guidelines on fencing for sites were provided on request to Scottish Water.

Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency: RAF Welford

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he expects Ministry of Defence Police Agency staff to be withdrawn from RAF Welford; and which organisation will assume responsibility for its security thereafter.

Kevan Jones: The MOD police will not be withdrawn from RAF Welford until I am satisfied that other security measures at the base are suitable and appropriate, and do not compromise the overall security of the site. The security duties will then pass to the MOD Guard Service, whose complement will be increased.
	Overall responsibility for the security of the site will continue to be exercised by the Head of Establishment.

Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency: Training

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether trained recruitment to the Defence Police Agency has ended.

Kevan Jones: External recruitment into the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency (MDPGA) has not ended. But, it has been largely suspended for now, pending completion of current reviews of physical security requirement and mindful of other more pressing defence priorities. Some limited recruitment to meet specific operational requirements will be allowed and the Ministry of Defence will continue to place a high importance on the safety and security of their people, infrastructure and assets.

Navy: Greenock

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much was spent under each budgetary heading on running the Navy buildings in Greenock in each of the last five financial years; and what the equivalent budget is for 2009-10;
	(2)  what the maintenance costs were for the Navy buildings in Greenock in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: Details of the expenditure for running the Royal Navy Buildings Greenock over the last five complete financial years, broken down by budgetary heading, are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Budgetary heading  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Utilities(1) 0.112 0.138 0.119 0.103 0.161 
			 Telecommunications 0.111 0.106 0.096 0.086 0.065 
			 Rates(2) 0.066 0.065 0.074 0.065 0.059 
			 Total 0.289 0.309 0.289 0.254 0.285 
			 (1) Includes electricity, gas, water, oil and waste. (2) Includes cash in lieu of rations-provisions to personnel in the absence of service facilities or food supply. 
		
	
	The equivalent budget for the financial year 2009-10 is £0.337 million.

Navy: Greenock

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current estimated value is of the Navy buildings in Greenock; and how much is planned to be spent on redeveloping those buildings.

Kevan Jones: Details of all Ministry of Defence holdings over £1 million, together with their latest asset valuations can be found in chapter seven of the National Asset Register, on HM Treasury's website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psr_investment_nar_2007_index.htm
	The latest figure published for Greenock Navy Buildings is £4.147 million in 2007.
	There are no plans to redevelop the Navy buildings in Greenock and only essential maintenance work will be undertaken in the future. Recent estimates of through-life costs required to maintain their material state, suggest that the continued retention of the buildings may not represent best value for money. We are, therefore, looking at options for their future. No decisions will, however, be taken until stakeholders, lodger units and trades unions have been consulted.

Navy: Greenock

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) civilian staff and  (b) members of the armed forces were employed at the Navy buildings in Greenock in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: The following table provides the number of Ministry of Defence personnel employed at the Royal Navy buildings Greenock over the last five years. Not included are personnel attached to the Royal Navy Reserves and Royal Marines Reserves who regularly use the buildings but are not employed there, nor staff employed by non-MOD lodger units, such as the Department for Transport's Maritime Coastguard Agency:
	
		
			  Post( 1)  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Civilian(2) 40 35 35 35 30 
			 Armed forces(3) 10 10 10 5 (4)- 
			 (1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest five. (2) Civilian figures do not include any staff not directly employed by MOD. (3) Armed forces includes all regular trained and untrained personnel and excludes all full-time and mobilised reservists. (4) Denotes rounded to zero.

RAF Kinloss

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current estimated value is of RAF Kinloss; and how much is planned to be spent on its redevelopment.

Kevan Jones: Details of all Ministry of Defence holdings over £1 million, together with their latest asset valuations can be found in Chapter Seven of the National Asset Register, on HM Treasury's website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psr_investment_nar_2007_index.htm
	The latest figure published for RAF Kinloss is £93.116 million in 2007.
	We estimate that some £39 million (at today's costs) will be spent at RAF Kinloss to meet known requirements over the next nine years.

RAF Kinloss

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent under each budgetary heading on running RAF Kinloss in Moray in each of the last five financial years; and what the equivalent budget is for 2009-10.

Kevan Jones: The direct operating costs for RAF Kinloss since financial year 2004-05 are included in the following table, together with the equivalent budgetary allocation for financial year 2009-10. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £100,000.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Financial year 
			   2004-05 (Actual)  2005-06 (Actual)  2006-07 (Actual)  2007-08 (Actual)  2008-09 (Actual)  2009-10 (Budget) 
			 Personnel 71.9 69.2 66.6 61.5 61.3 64.0 
			 Infrastructure 5.6 5.7 4.5 5.0 5.0 5.3 
			 Stock consumption 29.7 31.1 24.0 24.5 26.0 17.3 
			 Equipment support 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.1 
			 Other costs 0.8 2.6 2.7 3.4 3.8 3.2 
			 Receipts and other income -0.6 -0.6 -0.9 -0.8 -1.0 -0.8 
			 Total(1) 108.7 109.3 98.4 95.1 96.7 90.1 
			 (1) Total excludes indirect operating costs such as depreciation and aircraft maintenance contracts for Nimrod aircraft.

RAF Kinloss

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) civilian staff and  (b) armed forces staff were employed at RAF Kinloss in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: The number of civilian staff and armed forces staff employed at RAF Kinloss in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. Prior to 2007 and the introduction of the Joint Personnel Administration System (JPA) data on the number of Service personnel based at specific RAF bases were not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  April each year 
			  Personnel  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Civilian 340 320 310 310 310 
			 Armed Forces n/a n/a (1)1,490 (1)1,430 (1)1,380 
			 (1) Data that are provisional and subject to review.  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Armed Forces figures include trained and untrained personnel.

RAF Kinloss

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maintenance costs were for RAF Kinloss in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: Planned and reactive maintenance costs for RAF Kinloss for each of the last five years are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Maintenance costs 
			  £ million 
			 2005-06 2.458 
			 2006-07 2.443 
			 2007-08 2.307 
			 2008-09 2.459 
			 2009-10(1) 1.995 
			 (1) Up to November 2009 
		
	
	Projects outside the scope of this response include changes to operational requirements, condition improvements, and lifecycle replacements.

RAF Lossiemouth

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current estimated value is of RAF Lossiemouth; and how much is planned to be spent on its redevelopment.

Kevan Jones: Details of all Ministry of Defence holdings over £1 million, together with their latest asset valuations can be found in Chapter Seven of the National Asset Register, on HM Treasury's website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psr_investment_nar_2007_index.htm
	The latest figure published for RAF Lossiemouth is £95.696 million in 2007.
	We estimate that some £77 million (at today's prices) will be spent at RAF Lossiemouth over the next nine years to meet known requirements.
	In addition a number of options for the development of infrastructure related to the joint combat aircraft are being examined, but costs will not be known until this work is complete.

RAF Lossiemouth

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent under each budgetary heading on running RAF Lossiemouth in Moray in each of the last five financial years; and what the equivalent budget is for 2009-10.

Kevan Jones: The direct operating costs for RAF Lossiemouth since financial year 2004-05 are included in the following table, together with the equivalent budgetary allocation for financial year 2009-10. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £100,000.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Financial years 
			   2004-05  (Actual)  2005-06  (Actual)  2006-07  (Actual)  2007-08  (Actual)  2008-09  (Actual)  2009-10  (Budget) 
			 Personnel 79.2 78.4 77.8 69.2 65.4 68.3 
			 Infrastructure 6.3 6.2 4.9 4.8 4.7 5.6 
			 Stock consumption 22.5 24.9 23.2 31.0 30.9 27.1 
			 Equipment support 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.2 
			 Other Costs 1.3 2.6 2.8 2.9 3.9 2.8 
			 Receipts and other income -0.3 -0.9 -0.8 -1.4 -1.1 -0.5 
			 Total(1) 110.2 112.4 109.3 107.8 105.2 104.5 
			 (1) Total excludes indirect operating costs such as depreciation and aircraft maintenance contracts for Tornado and Sea King aircraft.

RAF Lossiemouth

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) civilian staff and  (b) armed forces staff were employed at RAF Lossiemouth in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: The number of civilian staff and armed forces staff employed at RAF Lossiemouth in each of the last five years is shown in the table below. Prior to 2007 and the introduction of the Joint Personnel Administration System (JPA) data on the number of Service personnel based at specific RAF bases were not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  April each year 
			  Personnel  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Civilian 410 400 380 370 370 
			 Armed Forces n/a n/a (1)2,090 (1)1,770 (1)1,760 
			 (1) Data that are provisional and subject to review.  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Armed forces figures include trained and untrained personnel. 
		
	
	The reduction in armed forces personnel at RAF Lossiemouth resulted mainly from the collocation of maintenance personnel to create the Tornado Dept Hub at RAF Marham in 2007.

RAF Lossiemouth

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maintenance costs were for RAF Lossiemouth in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: Planned and reactive maintenance costs for RAF Lossiemouth for each of the last five years are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Maintenance costs 
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2005-06 4.13 
			 2006-07 3.66 
			 2007-08 2.51 
			 2008-09 5.56 
			 2009-10 (up to November 2009) 3.16 
		
	
	Projects outside the scope of this response include changes to operational requirements, condition improvements, and lifecycle replacements.

RAF Menwith Hill

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to his Department was of  (a) the erection of a single-storey extension with bermed earth covering and  (b) the detached substation with four cooling units developed at RAF Menwith Hill.

Kevan Jones: The building works carried out at RAF Menwith Hill were funded by the US authorities.

USA: Military Alliances

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the UK-US Defence Trade Co-operation Treaty to be ratified by the US Congress.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 740W, to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns).

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on  (a) new furnishings,  (b) works of art and  (c) new vehicles in each of the last three years.

Michael Foster: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) A central record of expenditure under the heading 'new furnishings' is not kept by the Department for International Development (DFID). This information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
	 (b) Works of art displayed in DFID are from the Government Art Collection (GAC), which publishes an annual list of acquisitions. Details of acquisitions made by the GAC are available on the GAC website:
	http://www.gac.culture.gov.uk/information/publications.asp
	 (c) DFID spent £1,241,000 in 2006-7, £708,000 in 2007-08 and £1,071,000 in 2008-09 on vehicles. These figures have been extracted from our audited annual Resource Accounts and include expenditure oversees and in the UK.

Haiti: Earthquakes

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the US authorities on proposals to drop medical supplies from the air to the people of Haiti; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) is in regular contact with our American counterparts about all aspects of the humanitarian operation in Haiti, including how best to get urgent medical supplies to hospitals and makeshift clinics to treat earthquake survivors. We have deployed a humanitarian adviser to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington to enable coordination between ourselves.
	I have been in regular contact with the head of USAID to discuss coordination of the international effort but have not discussed the specific issue in question. Haiti's damaged infrastructure has significantly slowed the delivery of supplies and workers. DFID understands that air delivery is a means the US is exploring to create alternate distribution points that will enable aid to reach people more quickly.

Non-Governmental Organisations: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria were used by his Department for the selection of organisations to participate in  (a) strategic grant agreements and  (b) strategic framework partnership agreements since its creation.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) selected organisations for strategic grant agreements and the strategic framework partnership arrangement for which international development was not a main focus but which demonstrated potential to work constructively and strategically with DFID in reducing poverty.

Non-Governmental Organisations: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) purpose and  (b) terms are of each (i) strategic grant agreement and (ii) strategic framework partnership agreement entered into by his Department since its creation.

Michael Foster: The purpose of strategic grant agreements and the strategic framework grant agreement was to enable the recipient organisations to increase their knowledge of international development issues and build their capacity to make an effective contribution to international development. Each agreement contained clear outcomes and implementation procedures. An example of one such agreement is available on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications/sgauklocalgovernalliance.pdf
	In addition, a standard memorandum of understanding (MOU) between DFID and the recipient organisations contained terms relating to the use of funds, independent auditing and reporting of financial accounts and evaluation requirements.

Non-Governmental Organisations: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria were used by his Department for the selection of organisations to participate in the partnership programme arrangements awarded in 2009; and for what reasons these awards were not subject to competition.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) entered in to Partnership Programme Arrangements (PPAs) with three groups in 2009: CIVICUS, Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Comic Relief. All three groups were previously being funded through a variety of separate programme funding arrangements involving considerable staff time and resources. All three groups filled an important niche in civil society not covered by other PPA partners. By supporting these groups through PPAs, we were able to provide assistance more efficiently. There was no benefit to DFID in undertaking a long and costly competitive application process.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department has provided to tackle antisocial behaviour in Birmingham in the last three years.

Alan Campbell: Since 2004-05, as with all other crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs), Birmingham was allocated £25,000 a year as a contribution towards funding an ASB Co-ordinator Post. In 2005-06, in England the antisocial behaviour co-ordinators' grant was pooled within the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund. This pooled budget supported the delivery of outcomes and indicators relating to antisocial behaviour in local area agreements (LAAs). As of 2008-09 Home Office funding for local authorities to tackle antisocial behaviour now form part of the general Area Based Grant (ABG) paid by the Department of Communities and Local Government. This funding has been renewed for the period 2008-11 and it is for local partnerships to agree how the grants received should be allocated against locally determined priorities, including tackling antisocial behaviour.
	In addition, on 13 October 2009 the Home Secretary announced assistance to 62 priority areas where public perceptions of antisocial behaviour are highest. As Birmingham is a priority area it receives support as well as funding to provide additional services to victims and witnesses of ASB. In 2009-10, Birmingham received £17,000 and £20,000 to be allocated in 2010-11.
	There is also wider funding which contributes towards the wider cross-Government strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour, including an additional £10 million announced on 20 November 2009 by the Department for Communities and Local Government to 130 local authorities to support the fight against antisocial behaviour. Birmingham received £54,000 and it is for the local authority in conjunction with the police and other partners to decide how that money can best be spent to tackle antisocial behaviour problems in the area. In addition, the Government are committed to diverting young people from crime and antisocial behaviour as demonstrated by our investment in universal services such as Sure Start Children's Centres, parenting support and positive activities as well as targeted work through the Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP).

Burglary

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how domestic burglaries were reported in  (a) South Tyneside,  (b) the North East and  (c) England and Wales in each year since 2006.

Alan Campbell: The available information relates to domestic burglary offences recorded by the police and is given in the table.
	
		
			  Domestic burglary offences recorded by the police 
			   Number of domestic burglary offences recorded in: 
			   South Tyneside  North-east region  England and Wales 
			 2006-07 606 12,303 292,260 
			 2007-08 489 10,881 280,694 
			 2008-09 424 10,408 284,427

Departmental Advertising

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2010,  Official Report, column 29W, on departmental advertising, what activities accounted for the main areas of expenditure under the  (a) television,  (b) radio,  (c) print and  (d) online advertising category.

Alan Johnson: The forecast expenditure for advertising activities for 2009-10 relates to spend on TV, radio, print and online advertising on public facing marketing campaign to tackle drug misuse, binge drinking, knife crime, teen partner violence, acquisitive crime and raise awareness of the service to expect from local crime and justice providers.

Detection Rates: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the crime detection rate in Birmingham has been in the last three years.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office now uses sanction detections as the preferred detection measure. The sanction detection rate for offences detected in the Birmingham area was 27 per cent. in 2006-07, 28 per cent. in 2007-08 and 31 per cent. in 2008-09.
	From 1 April 2007 the rules governing recording of non-sanction detections were revised to reduce the scope within which they can be claimed to a very small limited set of circumstances. This has significantly reduced the number of non-sanction detections which has been reflected in the overall detection rates.

DNA: Databases

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many convictions for criminal offences evidence from the National DNA database played a material part in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007,  (d) 2008 and  (e) 2009.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 18 January 2010
	Data are available on the number of detections in which a DNA match was available, but not the number of convictions. The following table shows the number of detections in which a DNA match was available or played a part. Data are collected by financial year, so figures for 2008-09 are the most recent available. The data are for forces in England and Wales only.
	The figures held do not include crimes detected as a result of one-off speculative searches of the National DNA Database or from comparing DNA profiles in a forensic laboratory. One off speculative searches and DNA profile comparisons are used mainly in the investigation of serious crimes such as murder and rape, and therefore the figures in the table under-represent the overall contribution of DNA matches to the detection of serious crimes such as murder and rape.
	It is important to note that detections are achieved through integrated criminal investigation, not through DNA alone. The source of the figures provided is the forensic performance data, which are collected by the Home Office from police forces.
	The data provided are management information and have not been formally assessed for compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
	
		
			   Detections of crimes in which a DNA match was available  Additional detections arising from DNA match  Total DNA-related detections( 1)  Total recorded crime 
			 2005-06 20,349 19,960 40,309 5,555,172 
			 2006-07 19,949 21,199 41,148 5,427,558 
			 2007-08 17,614 15,420 33,034 4,951,173 
			 2008-09 17,607 14,602 32,209 4,702,468 
			 (1) 'DNA detections' and 'Additional detections'  Notes: 1. A 'DNA detection' means that the crime was cleared up and a DNA match was available. 2. 'Additional detections arising from the DNA match' occur when, for example, a suspect, on being presented with DNA evidence linking him to one offence, confesses to further offences. They arise from a crime with a DNA match, and are therefore detections where a DNA match played a part in solving the crime. 3. Total 'DNA-related detections' means 'DNA detections' + 'Additional detections arising from the DNA match'.

DNA: Databases

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the implications of the provisions of the Prüm Treaty for the retention of information on the National DNA Database.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 25 January 2010
	Work is currently under way on assessing a wide range of issues associated with implementing the UK's Prüm obligations including, among other things, the treatment and safeguarding of relevant data, including DNA information.

Driving Offences: Fines

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much revenue from fines for motoring offences in  (a) Southend-on-Sea,  (b) Essex and  (c) England and Wales arising from detection by speed cameras was paid into the Consolidated Fund (i) directly and (ii) from surpluses of safety camera partnerships in each of the last 10 years; what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: Information reported to the Home Office on fixed penalty notices for motoring offences as well as data on court fines held by the Ministry of Justice do not include information on revenues as not all fines imposed will have been paid.
	Data provided by the Department for Transport showing the fine receipts and surplus for the National Safety Camera Programme from 2000-01 to 2006-07 (when the programme ended) are provided by the table.
	The National Safety Camera Programme was rolled out to 38 safety camera partnerships in England and Wales between 2001 and 2004 and had a distinct function-to strengthen detection, enforcement and deterrence of speeding and red light offences at places on the road network with particular problems.
	All the fine receipts in the table are paid into the consolidated fund. Data have been provided for Essex and England and Wales only as the data reported to the Department for Transport are provided at police force area level only.
	
		
			  Speed and red-light camera fine receipts and surplus for each year of the National Safety Camera Programme: Data for red-light cameras cannot be disaggregated from those of speed cameras: No data held below Essex geographical level 
			  £ 
			   Fine receipts  Surplus 
			  Essex   
			 2000-01 1,846,480 0 
			 2001-02 3,524,120 344,816 
			 2002-03 5,672,220 521,934 
			 2003-04 5,137,740 100,447 
			 2004-05 4,710,300 87,887 
			 2005-06 4,732,860 475,670 
			 2006-07 3,917,040 177,186 
			  National Programme (England and Wales)   
			 2000-01 9,902,760 1,290,967 
			 2001-02 18,799,820 3,412,881 
			 2002-03 73,876,260 16,256,127 
			 2003-04 113,567,780 21,690,421 
			 2004-05 113,729,614 18,649,830 
			 2005-06 114,625,360 15,082,460 
			 2006-07 104,503,784 6,574,030 
			  Note: The above will not include fine receipts from penalties detected by cameras operated outside the national programme

Driving Under Influence

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of people of each  (a) age,  (b) ethnicity and  (c) gender stopped for drink driving (i) tested positive and (ii) refused to provide a breath test in (A) each police authority area and (B) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The information available can be found in the following tables.
	The Breath Tests statistics on how many and what percentage of people of each  (a) age,  (b) ethnicity and  (c) gender stopped for drink driving are not reported to the Home Office and therefore we are unable to provide this data.
	Additionally, data are provided on the number of breath tests 'positive or refused' as it is not possible to separate positive breath tests and refused breath tests from the information reported to the Home Office.
	
		
			  Number of screening breath tests and the number positive/refused, by police force area, England Wales 2003-07( 1, 2) and Wales 2003-07( 1,2) 
			  Police force area  Data  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset Sum of Total Offences 24,492 27,297 21,928 15,779 15,655 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 3,297 3,028 3,182 2,735 2,445 
			  % Positive or refused 13 11 15 17 16 
			 Bedfordshire Sum of Total Offences 6,633 7,764 6,704 3,093 2,578 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,116 1,143 942 931 1,060 
			  % Positive or refused 17 15 14 30 41 
			 Cambridgeshire Sum of Total Offences 12,300 12,300 12,500 12,500 12,000 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1259 1,255 1,313 1,463 1,405 
			  % Positive or refused 10 10 11 12 12 
			 Cheshire Sum of Total Offences 11,854 2,0155 22,005 35,747 32,210 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 2,395 2,430 1,957 2,199 2,046 
			  % Positive or refused 20 12 9 6 6 
			 Cleveland Sum of Total Offences 8,716 8,056 10,826 11,308 10,140 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,090 674 732 824 623 
			  % Positive or refused 13 8 7 7 6 
			 Cumbria Sum of Total Offences 5,513 8,430 13,577 13,804 16,217 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 648 683 819 793 811 
			  % Positive or refused 12 8 6 6 5 
			 Derbyshire Sum of Total Offences 32,570 31,023 17,685 16,019 15,873 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,677 2,129 1,325 1,127 996 
			  % Positive or refused 5 7 7 7 6 
			 Devon and Cornwall Sum of Total Offences 10,914 10,690 10,423 13,562 16,687 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 2,959 2,803 2,572 2,617 2,244 
			  % Positive or refused 27 26 25 19 13 
			 Dorset Sum of Total Offences 8,464 6,938 7,917 8,706 8,038 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,708 1,683 1,808 1,883 1,828 
			  % Positive or refused 20 24 23 22 23 
			 Durham Sum of Total Offences 7,558 6,080 7,734 6,945 8,160 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,135 1,211 1,073 1,055 969 
			  % Positive or refused 15 20 14 15 12 
			 Dyfed-Powys Sum of Total Offences 5,982 6,686 6,917 7,291 9,429 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,088 1,061 995 982 887 
			  % Positive or refused 18 16 14 13 9 
			 Essex Sum of Total Offences 15,481 25,337 34,249 28,436 25,946 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 2,754 2,983 2,713 2,788 2,509 
			  % Positive or refused 18 12 8 10 10 
			 Gloucestershire Sum of Total Offences 8,647 7,144 9,122 10,090 8,262 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,432 1,281 1,318 1,525 1,354 
			  % Positive or refused 17 18 14 15 16 
			 Greater Manchester Sum of Total Offences 20,900 19,900 18,900 18,100 18,025 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 7,100 6,300 5,400 5,310 5,225 
			  % Positive or refused 34 32 29 29 29 
			 Gwent Sum of Total Offences 2,794 1,632 1,957 1,702 2,374 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,264 1,255 1,204 1,280 1,083 
			  % Positive or refused 45 77 62 75 46 
			 Hampshire Sum of Total Offences 37,529 38,399 38,323 34,772 26,208 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 3,997 3,802 4,277 3,721 4,513 
			  % Positive or refused 11 10 11 11 17 
			 Hertfordshire Sum of Total Offences 4,011 7,289 11,900 12,693 12,030 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 2,075 2,028 1,868 1,866 1,884 
			  % Positive or refused 52 28 16 15 16 
			 Humberside Sum of Total Offences 6,545 5,619 5,717 10,009 11,885 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,542 707 738 1,561 1,052 
			  % Positive or refused 24 13 13 16 9 
			 Kent Sum of Total Offences 24,553 32,019 31,187 31,684 28,629 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 2,983 3,178 2,175 2,237 1,753 
			  % Positive or refused 12 10 7 7 6 
			 Lancashire Sum of Total Offences 7,981 10,204 12,990 16,359 19,158 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 2,882 2,896 2,861 2,949 2,687 
			  % Positive or refused 36 28 22 18 14 
			 Leicestershire Sum of Total Offences 12,007 15,799 14,419 9,980 6,644 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 2,280 2,222 1,954 1,859 1,898 
			  % Positive or refused 19 14 14 19 29 
			 Lincolnshire Sum of Total Offences 12,076 11,310 11,431 10,581 14,722 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,065 938 995 1,161 1,101 
			  % Positive or refused 9 8 9 11 7 
			 London, City of Sum of Total Offences 1,237 683 1,117 1,553 1,375 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 239 136 184 250 209 
			  % Positive or refused 19 20 16 16 15 
			 Merseyside Sum of Total Offences 7,722 5,019 8,003 10,642 12,829 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 2,299 2,281 2,090 1,966 1,931 
			  % Positive or refused 30 45 26 18 15 
			 Metropolitan Police Sum of Total Offences 55,993 61,535 67,461 65,025 66,919 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 16,049 15,719 16,677 18,447 17,273 
			  % Positive or refused 29 26 25 28 26 
			 Norfolk Sum of Total Offences 4,030 4,805 10,367 7,844 6,366 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,208 989 1,046 1,389 1,203 
			  % Positive or refused 30 21 10 18 19 
			 North Wales Sum of Total Offences 1,7337 24,177 21,812 19,597 23,034 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,363 1,434 1,370 1,142 1,721 
			  % Positive or refused 8 6 6 6 7 
			 North Yorkshire Sum of Total Offences 8,254 8,589 9,339 10,129 10,526 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,169 1,494 1,422 1,283 1,280 
			  % Positive or refused 14 17 15 13 12 
			 Northamptonshire Sum of Total Offences 3,126 3,200 5,196 4,259 4,076 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,265 1,215 1,133 1,328 1,321 
			  % Positive or refused 40 38 22 31 32 
			 Northumbria Sum of Total Offences 11,123 9,776 9,301 7,992 7,392 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 2,580 2,184 ,632 2,637 2,391 
			  % Positive or refused 23 22 28 33 32 
			 Nottinghamshire Sum of Total Offences 7,146 8,241 7,923 7,172 7,250 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 2,456 2,508 2,445 2,320 2,258 
			  % Positive or refused 34 30 31 32 31 
			 South Wales Sum of Total Offences 16,863 16,733 16,269 17,087 19,013 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 3,003 3,020 2,985 2,782 2,475 
			  % Positive or refused 18 18 18 16 13 
			 South Yorkshire Sum of Total Offences 12,117 6,494 13,689 10,267 11,390 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,793 ,419 3,712 2,854 2,622 
			  % Positive or refused 15 37 27 28 23 
			 Staffordshire Sum of Total Offences 5,073 13,666 14,322 12,723 12,369 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,849 1,892 1,870 1,806 1,681 
			  % Positive or refused 36 14 13 14 14 
			 Suffolk Sum of Total Offences 11,566 10,569 8,854 9,059 10,435 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,332 1,197 1,017 1,005 790 
			  % Positive or refused 12 11 11 11 8 
			 Surrey Sum of Total Offences 8,858 9,484 9,605 8,278 6,915 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 941 1,067 1,043 870 701 
			  % Positive or refused 11 11 11 11 10 
			 Sussex Sum of Total Offences 17,150 15,210 17,983 18,742 16,805 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,992 2,193 2,231 2,223 1,795 
			  % Positive or refused 12 14 12 12 11 
			 Thames Valley Sum of Total Offences 16,049 15,363 14,629 13,538 14,850 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 6,303 3,965 5,873 3,821 3,488 
			  % Positive or refused 39 26 40 28 23 
			 Warwickshire Sum of Total Offences 5,848 5,496 4,820 4,458 4,877 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 865 738 785 589 421 
			  % Positive or refused 15 13 16 13 9 
			 West Mercia Sum of Total Offences 6,289 7,991 8,833 11,267 10,438 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 2,419 2,430 2,696 2,505 2,177 
			  % Positive or refused 38 30 31 22 21 
			 West Midlands Sum of Total Offences 10,960 6,579 6,900 6,229 5,611 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 4,765 4,830 4,919 4,584 4,223 
			  % Positive or refused 43 73 71 74 75 
			 West Yorkshire Sum of Total Offences 14,157 16,921 15,367 18,011 18,724 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 3,563 4288 4,686 5,928 6,427 
			  % Positive or refused 25 25 30 33 34 
			 Wiltshire Sum of Total Offences 5,867 7,398 7,167 8,708 7,688 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 1,150 1,331 1,247 1,135 830 
			  % Positive or refused 20 18 17 13 11 
			 England and Wales Sum of Total Offences 53,4285 578000 607368 601740 599,752 
			  Sum of Positive/Refused 106,349 103,020 104,284 103,730 97,590 
			  % Positive or refused 20 18 17 17 16 
			 (1) Figures for 2006 revised since previous publication. (2) Figures for 'positive/refused' contain some data on prosecutions for failing a breath test where shortfalls were found in the data supplied to the Home Office. The police forces affected are: Bedfordshire, Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, Essex, Humberside, Lancashire, Norfolk, Northumbria, South Wales and Staffordshire. Similar adjustments were also made to various forces' data between 1998 and 2006. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5.01: Screening breath tests by outcome: England and Wales 
			  Number (thousand) and percentage 
			  Outcome  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Total number of tests 534.3 578 607.4 601.7 599.8 
			 Number positive or refused(2) 106.3 103.0 104.3 103.7 97.6 
			 % Positive or refused 20 18 17 17 16 
			 (1) Figures for 2006 revised since previous publication. (2) Figures for 'positive/refused' contain some data on prosecutions for failing a breath test where shortfalls were found in the data supplied to the Home Office. The police forces affected are: Bedfordshire, Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, Essex, Humberside, Lancashire, Norfolk, Northumbria, South Wales and Staffordshire. Similar adjustments were also made to various forces' data between 1998 and 2006.

Drugs: Crime

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what offences his Department classifies as drug-related crime.

Alan Campbell: The Department does not classify drug-related crimes as it is not always possible to establish an association with drug use when crimes are being recorded. The Department deems it more useful to draw on a number of data sources which provide information on the relationship between drugs and crime. Relevant research is routinely made available on the departmental website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/horrpubs.html
	The Home Office Counting Rules (HOCR) is the guidance issued to all police forces in England and Wales on the recording of crime.
	A list of specific drugs offences that are notifiable to the Department can be found in the Drug Offences section of the HOCR. A copy can be found on the departmental website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/countrules.html
	Public Service Agreement 25, indicator three (Rate of Drug-related Offending) is a proxy measure for drug related offending, defined for this purpose as:
	proven offending by those identified as Class A drug misusers in the course of their contact with the CJS.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are on the drug rehabilitation requirements scheme.

Alan Campbell: The drug rehabilitation requirement (DRR) is the primary means for sentenced offenders to address their drug misuse as part of a community order or suspended sentence order.
	The most recent analysis of the caseload found that on 30 June 2009 there were 9,465 community orders with a DRR, 3,220 suspended sentence orders with a DRR and 43 drug treatment and testing orders, the predecessor of the DRR, in force. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Firearms

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in  (a) England,  (b) Devon and  (c) Torbay constituency have been (i) killed and (ii) wounded by a firearm in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: Available information relates to crimes recorded by the police in which firearms (excluding air weapons) were reported to have been fired or used as a blunt instrument resulting in fatal, serious and slight injury. Data for England and the Devon and Cornwall police force area, from 1997-98 up to and including 2008-09, are given in the table. Constituency and county level data are not collected centrally.
	Full analysis of firearm offence statistics for 2008-09 was published in Home Office Statistical Bulletin 01/10 on 21 January 2010, available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb0110.pdf
	
		
			  Crimes recorded by the police in which firearms (excluding air weapons) were reported to have been used( 1)  resulting in injury, by degree of injury, England total and Devon and Cornwall police force area, 1997-98 to 2008-09 
			   Injury type 
			   Fatal injury  Serious( 2)  injury  Slight injury 
			  1997-98
			 England 52 202 543 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 0 4 
			 
			  1998-99( 3)
			 England 50 158 649 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 1 23 
			 
			  1999-2000
			 England 62 199 925 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 2 21 
			 
			  2000-01
			 England 71 239 1,036 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 0 9 
			 
			  2001-02( 4)
			 England 94 391 1,370 
			 Devon and Cornwall - 0 5 
			 
			  2002-03( 5)
			 England 78 414 1,627 
			 Devon and Cornwall - 1 10 
			 
			  2003-04
			 England 68 432 1,813 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 0 22 
			 
			  2004-05( 6)
			 England 76 404 3,300 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 1 92 
			 
			  2005-06
			 England 48 473 3,206 
			 Devon and Cornwall - 0 72 
			 
			  2006-07
			 England 56 405 2,450 
			 Devon and Cornwall - 1 57 
			 
			  2007-08
			 England 53 398 2,703 
			 Devon and Cornwall - 1 49 
			 
			  2008-09
			 England 39 320 1,367 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 4 20 
			 (1) Where firearms have been fired or used as a blunt instrument. (2) A serious injury is the one which necessitated detention in hospital or involved fractures, concussion, severe general shock, penetration by a bullet or multiple shot wounds. (3) There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998. (4) Figures may have been inflated by some police forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard before 1 April 2002. (5) The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by this. (6) More explicit guidelines for the classification of weapons introduced on 1 April 2004 may have increased the recording of firearm offences, particularly those committed by imitation weapons.

Fly Tipping: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) arrested and  (b) convicted for an offence of flytipping in each London borough since 1997.

Alan Campbell: The information requested on arrests is not available.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery. Waste management offences are not notifiable offences and therefore do not form a part of this collection.
	Information provided by the Ministry of Justice on the number of people found guilty at all courts for 'fly-tipping', England and Wales 1997 to 2007 (latest available) is given in the table.
	The Ministry of Justice advise that court proceedings data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
	
		
			  Number of persons found guilty at all courts for 'fly tipping'( 1) , England and Wales 1997 to 2007( 2,3) 
			   Number 
			 1997 250 
			 1998 304 
			 1999 324 
			 2000 411 
			 2001 446 
			 2002 557 
			 2003 624 
			 2004 791 
			 2005 931 
			 2006 1,102 
			 2007 1,218 
			 (1) Covers offences under sections 33(6),33(8),33(9),34 and 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice. Ref: IOS 036-10

Identity Cards

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Minister took the decision to extend the scope of the Manchester area identity cards pilot scheme.

Meg Hillier: In a written ministerial statement on 30 June 2009,  Official Report, column 12WS, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced plans to extend the initial coverage of identity cards from Greater Manchester to other locations in the North West of England from early in 2010. In a further written ministerial statement on 15 December 2009,  Official Report, column 112WS, I confirmed the plans for this next phase of the roll out.

National Identity Register

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what suppliers there are under the Identity Card and National Identity Register's framework agreement.

Meg Hillier: The suppliers that are included in the Strategic Supplier Framework agreement for the National Identity Service are:
	Computer Sciences Ltd. (CSC)
	Electronic Data Systems Ltd. (EDS)
	Fujitsu Services Ltd. (Fujitsu)
	IBM United Kingdom (IBM)
	Thales UK Ltd.
	EDS was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2008.

National Identity Register

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which public bodies personal data held on the National Identity Register may be provided.

Meg Hillier: The Identity Cards Act 2006, and secondary legislation made under the Act, sets out who may be provided with information from an individual's entry on the register and under what circumstances. In particular, the Identity Cards Act 2006 (Provision of Information without Consent) Regulations 2009, and the Identity Cards Act 2006 (Information and Code of Practice on Penalties) Order 2009 prescribe the Government Departments and public authorities that currently may be provided with information without the consent of the individual.

National Mobile Phone Crime Unit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenditure the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit (NMPCU) incurred in each year since 2003; and how many people were employed by NMPCU in each such year.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is presented in the following tables.
	
		
			  Staff levels each year for the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit 
			  Rank  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			  Police officers
			 Detective Supt 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Detective Chief Inspector 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Inspector 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 
			 Detective Inspector 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Police Sergeant 2 3 2 1 1 1 1 
			 Detective Sergeant 3 2 2 4 3 4 4 
			 Police Constable 6 10 9 8 6 7 6 
			 Detective Constable 3 4 6 8 8 7 6 
			 Total officers 16 22 23 25 22 23 20 
			 
			  Police staff
			 Band B - 2 2 2 2 1 1 
			 Band C - 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Band D - 1 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Band E - 6 6 7 8 8 6 
			 Total police staff 0 9 10 11 12 12 10 
		
	
	
		
			  Expenditure details for National Mobile Phone Crime Unit 
			  £ 
			   Sep  2003 to  Mar  2004  Apr  2004 to  Mar  2005  Apr  2005 to  Mar  2006  Apr  2006 to  Mar  2007  Apr  2007 to  Mar  2008  Apr  2008 to  Mar  2009  Apr  2009 to  Dec  2009 
			 Police pay 349,541.55 1,146,792.23 1,076,007.78 1,418,737.52 1,400,876.62 1,525,640.93 1,049,766.19 
			 Police staff pay 0.00 310,923.78 373,443.50 432,484.45 460,430.83 418,733.49 349,001.96 
			 Police overtime 92,668.68 104,297.93 297,447.39 311,103.39 194,432.31 143,850.16 85,845.93 
			 Police staff overtime 0.00 14,079.99 13,822.91 5,401.03 5,724.65 5,808.46 16,138.46 
			 Training budget 2,350.00 8,109.51 20,972.36 44,803.14 33,085.12 50,500.61 0.00 
			 Transport costs 40,528.19 161,247.36 118,975.37 140,727.15 111,637.60 134,786.15 64,649.54 
			 Supplies and services 242,433.73 294,993.60 210,887.91 236,618.22 231,842.91 229,709.90 136,375.13 
			 Total spent 727,522.15 2,040,444.40 2,111,557.22 2,589,874.90 2,438,030.04 2,509,029.70 1,701,777.21

National Mobile Phone Crime Unit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the minimum standards of investigation for mobile telephone crime referred to on the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit are.

Alan Johnson: The National Mobile Phone Crime Unit acts as a co-ordinator between industry, police and other law enforcement agencies.
	There is a good practice guide concerning all aspects of mobile phone crime that is disseminated to Forces in England and Wales. This guide is available to every police force in England and Wales. The NMPCU advise that their guidance on investigation covers a wide range of topics, from how to identify stolen phones and how to obtain forensic information from them, to prisoners' property and property found in searches.
	Forces have received training and have an appointed single point of contact (SPOC) who liaises with NMPCU and can enlist tailored assistance from them as and when the Force considers it to be necessary.

Passports: Biometrics

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2009,  Official Report, column 416W, on passports: fees and charges on which date fingerprint biometric passports will be introduced.

Alan Johnson: While a precise date has not yet been set, we plan to start issuing fingerprint biometric passports from 2012, so that every adult who decides to apply for a British passport will be offered the choice of being issued with a fingerprint biometric passport or a fingerprint biometric identity card or both documents all on a voluntary basis.

Passports: Fingerprints

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department plans to begin issuing passports containing fingerprint data; and how many such passports it expects to issue in each of the five years following their introduction.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 14 January 2010
	 The National Identity Service will provide the capability to enrol people on the National Identity Register and issue second generation passports and identity cards, capable of holding facial images and fingerprints. From 2012, once fingerprint biometric passports are introduced we intend that everyone should have the choice of having a fingerprint biometric passport, a fingerprint biometric identity card, or both documents with their identity details and biometrics recorded on the National Identity Register.
	The National Identity Service cost report shows the total volume of passports and identity cards predicted to be issued each year over the cost report period. As published in the October 2009 National Identity Service cost report, over the time period April 2012 to March 2017, we expect to have issued approximately 49 million products (48.7 is the total in the October cost report-p7).

Police: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers were assigned to duties in Birmingham in the last three years.

David Hanson: The available data can be seen in the following table.
	Police personnel statistics are not collected at the requested level. Data are collected at basic command unit level (which is equivalent to operational command units in west midlands). Data have been provided for the west midlands operational command units covering the Birmingham area (D1 to D2, E1 to E3 and F1 to F3).
	This and other related data are published annually as a supplementary part of the annual Police Service Strength Home Office Statistical Bulletin. The latest bulletin can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/policeorg1.html
	and bulletins for this and previous years are deposited in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Police officer and police community support officer strength, basic command units covering the Birmingham area, as at 31 March( 1) 
			  Number 
			   2007  2008  2009 
			  West midlands  Officer  PCSO  Officer  PCSO  Officer  PCSO 
			 D1 371 30 381 40 387 50 
			 D2 343 29 336 34 335 37 
			 D3 401 25 399 31 418 39 
			 E1 325 27 342 35 330 37 
			 E2 306 25 310 28 305 29 
			 E3 286 26 293 26 314 33 
			 F1 376 23 384 26 385 26 
			 F2 297 28 302 31 300 32 
			 F3 307 25 317 27 333 38 
			 Total 3,012 238 3,065 278 3,106 319 
			 (1) Police Personnel data are not collected at the requested level. Data are collected at basic command unit level (which is equivalent to operational command units in west midlands). Data have been provided for the west midlands operational command units covering the Birmingham area (D1 to D2, E1 to E3 and F1 to F3).  (2) These figures are based on full-time equivalents that have been rounded to the nearest whole number, due to rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items. Figures include those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.

Police: Manpower

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers have been employed in (i) South Tyneside, (ii) the North East and (iii) England and Wales in each year since 2008.

David Hanson: The available data can be seen in the following table.
	This and other related data are published annually as a supplementary part of the annual Police Service Strength Home Office Statistical Bulletin. The latest bulletin can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/policeorg1.html
	and bulletins for this and previous years are deposited in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Police officer and police community support officer strength, South Tyneside, north-east, England and Wales, as at 31 March( 1) 
			   2008  2009 
			   Officer  PCSO  Officer  PCSO 
			 South Tyneside 341 24 357 27 
			 North-East 7,307 585 7,455 628 
			 England and Wales 141,859 15,805 143,770 16,507 
			 (1) These figures are based on full-time equivalents that have been rounded to the nearest whole number, due to rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items. Figures include those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.

Sex Establishments

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) lap dancing clubs and  (b) sex establishments in operation in each region in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 25 January 2010
	This information is not collected centrally.

Stop and Search: Greater London

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and searches have been carried out by the Metropolitan police under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in each year since 2003-04; and how many such searches resulted in arrests for  (a) possession of an offensive weapon or dangerous instrument and  (b) other reasons.

David Hanson: The available data are provided in the table.
	
		
			  Table l: To show stop and searches made by Metropolitan police under section 60 of the Criminal justice and Public Order Act 1994 and resulting arrests 
			   Searches  Number of persons found to be carrying offensive weapons or dangerous instruments  Arrests for offensive weapons  Arrests for other reasons 
			 2003-04 4,359 19 29 122 
			 2004-05 3,480 14 19 101 
			 2005-06 5,584 75 50 149 
			 2006-07 16,917 136 93 528 
			 2007-08 17,471 135 84 544

Streatham

Keith Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Streatham constituency, the effects on that constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office has introduced a range of policies and initiatives since 1997. However, it is not always possible to quantify their effects particularly at constituency level. The available statistical information therefore relates to the London borough of Lambeth.
	In terms of police recorded crime in Lambeth, between 2002-03 and 2008-09, total recorded crime fell by 35 per cent. More specifically:
	Violence against the person: down 14 per cent.
	Sexual offences: down 20 per cent.
	Robbery: down 46 per cent.
	Burglary: down 39 per cent.
	Offences against vehicles: down 56 per cent.
	Other theft offences: down 38 per cent.
	Criminal damage: down 43 per cent.
	Drug offences: up 33 per cent.
	Data prior to 2002-03 are not directly comparable because of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. Additionally, no data at borough level are available prior to 1998-99. Lambeth Operational Command Unit had 1,010 police officers as at 30 September 2009. The number of police officers has increased by 174 since 2001. Comparisons with 1997 for Lambeth are not available. There were 170 police community support officers as at 30 September 2009 whilst there were none in existence in 1997.
	The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 saw positive effects with the statutory duty to create a crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP). The CDRP has brought new ways of working in a cross cutting way with the police, council and other key stakeholders and genuine partnership working to help tackle complex issues.
	The CDRP paved the way for the Safer Neighbourhoods initiatives where there is now a dedicated police resource in each of the 21 wards in Lambeth which were not in place in 1997.
	Lambeth's CDRP and wider partnership approach has been recognised as good practice and overall crime levels continue to reduce: there was a reduction in the seven consecutive years up to 2009.
	Before 1997 there were no bespoke powers to tackle antisocial behaviour but there are now a range of powers to deal with this issue. These include antisocial behaviour orders and designated public places orders (DPPO) from the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. Lambeth have adopted a borough-wide controlled drinking zone which is now in operation.
	In 1997, there were 40 CCTV cameras in Lambeth and since then two main schemes have been developed increasing CCTV to 966 cameras. The Town Centre scheme has 133 cameras and 833 in housing estates and there are additionally Transport for London cameras.

Terrorism: Stop and Search

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) charged and  (b) convicted of an offence under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in each year since 2001; and what the sentence was in each case.

David Hanson: There is no chargeable offence under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. An authorisation under section 44 allows officers to stop and search vehicles and persons within vehicles (section 44(1)), and pedestrians (section 44(2)). The power conferred allows an officer to search for articles of a kind which could be used in connection with terrorism, whether or not there are grounds for suspecting the presence of such articles (sections 45(1) and (2)).

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what advertising campaigns her Office has been responsible for in each of the last three years; which campaigns have  (a) commenced and  (b) continued in 2009-10 to date; and what the cost of each such campaign has been

Michael Jabez Foster: Since the Government Equalities Office was created in October 2007, we have run three campaigns. The first was to encourage more Black, Asian and minority ethnic women to become councillors, from July 2008 to July 2009, at a cost of around £89,000. The second was to raise awareness of new flexible working rights between April and September 2009, at a cost of around £126,000. The third is to encourage more women, people from ethnic minorities, and disabled people to apply for public appointments. This campaign started in November 2009 and will end in March 2010 at an estimated cost of £150,000.

Departmental Pay

Lee Scott: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in the Government Equalities Office in each year since its inception.

Michael Jabez Foster: Since its creation on 12 October 2007 the Government Equalities Office has awarded the following staff bonuses.
	
		
			   Number of bonuses  Total of bonuses (£) 
			 2007-08 25 37,787 
			 2008-09 19 28,400 
			 2009-10 67 58,850

Equality: Local Government

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will consult fire and rescue authorities on the likely effects on them of the duty to tackle socio-economic disadvantage proposed in the Equality Bill.

Michael Jabez Foster: Yes. The Government will be writing to the chairs of the fire and rescue authorities about this issue shortly.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the  (a) Department,  (b) agencies and  (c) non-departmental public bodies for which he has responsibility plan to sign up to the 10:10 campaign for cutting carbon usage; and if he will publish the research or criteria on which decisions about participation in the campaign have been based.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change signed up to the 10:10 campaign on 18 November 2009. The Department has an ongoing Greening DECC programme to reduce its energy consumption and increase its overall sustainability, and in July 2009, as part of its Low Carbon Transition Plan, DECC committed to a 10 per cent. reduction in its carbon emissions in this financial year (2009-10), with more to come in 2010. The 10:10 campaign fits well with this work.
	DECC does not have any agencies.
	The decision to sign up to the 10:10 campaign and to publish the justification for that decision is for each individual NDPB.

Departmental Information Officers

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many  (a) press officers and  (b) communications staff were employed by his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; and what the cost of employing such staff was in 2008-09.

Joan Ruddock: There were 10 press officers in DECC as at 15 January 2010, all of them permanent full-time staff.
	There were 35 other communications staff, including ministerial correspondence drafters, as at 15 January 2010, comprising 26 permanent staff and nine contractors or other temporary staff. Figures for part-time staff are included in this figure and are given in terms of their full-time equivalent.
	The cost of all DECC communications staff in 2008-09 including press officers was £512,000, but note that this relates to the period from October 2008, as prior to this costs were divided between BIS and DEFRA (the Departments from which DECC's original teams were drawn), for which disaggregated figures for DECC's predecessor teams are not available.

Nuclear Power: Security

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reason the Office of Civil Nuclear Security has  (a) stood down the armed response at Capenhurst and Springfield nuclear sites and  (b) downgraded the security level at each.

David Kidney: Security in the UK's civil nuclear industry is stringently regulated by the security regulator, the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS). Operators of civil licensed sites are required by law to have in place a range of security measures required under the UK's Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 as amended. OCNS conducts routine and no notice compliance inspections to ensure that sites remain compliant. The UK's civil nuclear security regulator has, for many years, chosen to take account of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s guidelines in setting security standards at the UK's civil licensed nuclear sites. The civil licensed nuclear sites at Capenhurst and Springfields are category III nuclear sites as defined by the IAEA and in the nuclear industries security regulations and the security measures at each site meet or exceed guidelines approved by the IAEA. It is not usual for category III sites, with the exception of nuclear generating stations, to have an armed response present at them. Police officers from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary have not been routinely armed at Capenhurst and Springfields since January 2007.

CABINET OFFICE

Central Office of Information: Expenditure

Mark Todd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment she has made of the reason for the cost of  (a) the finance function and  (b) the human resources function of the Central Office of Information referred to in the publication Benchmarking the Back Office: Central Government; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: I have asked the chief executive of the Central Office of Information (COI) to write to the hon. Member.
	A copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Communications Electronic Security Group

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will place in the Library a copy of the Communications Electronic Security Group Annual Report for  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008.

Chris Bryant: I have been asked to reply.
	No annual report has been produced by the Communications Electronic Security Group (CESG) since 2006. There is no statutory requirement for CESG to produce such reports.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Kent

Damian Green: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the percentage change is in the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants resident in  (a) Ashford and  (b) Kent between 1997 and the latest period for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the percentage change is in the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants resident in (a) Ashford and (b) Kent between 1997 and the latest period for which figures are available. (313508).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
	Figures have been provided for those people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance resident in the Ashford constituency and Kent local authority using figures for December 2009, the latest date for which data is available, and December 1997. The percentage change in the number of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants, are increases for both (a) Ashford 15.7 per cent and (b) Kent 2.9 per cent.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

National Income: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the gross domestic product per head of the resident population of the City of Portsmouth was in each year since 1992.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the gross domestic product (GDP) per head of the resident population in the City of Portsmouth in each year since 1992 (313071).
	The Office for National Statistics publishes regional Gross Value Added (GVA) rather than GDP. GVA is measured at current basic prices, which is GDP less taxes on products, plus subsidies on products. The data are produced at three geographical levels using a European classification system called NUTS (Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics). GVA by NUTS3 regions, (principally individual counties and unitary authorities) has been calculated since 1995. The latest year for which GVA is published at NUTS3 level is 2007.
	The headline estimates for the Portsmouth NUTS3 area, which corresponds to the Portsmouth local authority area, shown as £ per head figures, for the period 1995-2007 are shown in the table below:
	
		
			  Portsmouth NUTS3 area 
			   GVA per head (£) 
			 1995 11,159 
			 1996 12,021 
			 1997 12,937 
			 1998 13,869 
			 1999 14,615 
			 2000 15,342 
			 2001 16,416 
			 2002 17,457 
			 2003 18,381 
			 2004 19,030 
			 2005 19,482 
			 2006 20,378 
			 2007 21,154 
			  Source: Table 3.2, Regional GVA, ONS, available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/NUTS3.xls

Unemployment

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how people who do not qualify for contribution-based or income-based jobseeker's allowance but are claiming Class 1 national insurance credits, attend Jobcentre and remain available for and actively seeking employment are (a) recorded or  (b) otherwise accounted for in the monthly labour market statistics.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	A copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Unemployment

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether people who do not qualify for contribution-based or income-based jobseeker's allowance but are claiming Class 1 national insurance credits and attend the Jobcentre and remain available for and actively seeking employment are included within the official claimant count.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	A copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Unemployment

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate she has made of the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA)  (a) in each year since 1997 and  (b) in each month since January 2008; and how many of those were in receipt of (i) contributory, (ii) income-based and (iii) credits-only JSA.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 26 January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA)  (a) in each year since 1997 and  (b) in each month since January 2008; and how many of those were in receipt of (i) contributory, (ii) income-based and (iii) credits-only JSA (313212).
	Due to the large amount of data requested there would be a disproportionate cost to provide all the requested estimates. As an alternative, in table 1, we have provided the total number of people claiming JSA for December of each year since 1997 along with a breakdown of each type of claim. These estimates have been derived using data from the Jobcentre Plus 5 per cent. cohort. This is a sample of the Jobcentre Plus administrative system and as such the total number of claimants will differ from that published in the Labour Market Statistical Bulletin.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of persons claiming  jobseeker's allowance  by type of claim 
			  December each year  Contribution and  inco me based  Contribution based  Income  based  National  insurance credits only  Not available  Total 
			 1997 15,200 94,920 1,050,660 155,440 31,660 1,347,880 
			 1998 18,920 103,700 954,120 148,880 35,660 1,261,280 
			 1999 10,940 88,640 879,200 129,300 360 1,108,440 
			 2000 11,280 92,140 773,000 112,080 320 988,820 
			 2001 10,920 109,360 684,420 117,080 320 922,100 
			 2002 9,300 101,980 658,960 114,220 320 884,780 
			 2003 8,480 98,420 633,300 111,560 320 852,080 
			 2004 7,400 87,680 583,040 100,100 320 778,540 
			 2005 6,720 96,000 662,300 109,060 320 874,400 
			 2006 7,180 89,780 682,920 106,020 320 886,220 
			 2007 7,620 124,080 752,620 124,260 320 1,008,900 
			 2008 23,240 247,460 1,109,560 175,920 320 1,556,500 
			 (1). Estimates are based on a 5 per cent. sample of computerised claims. All claims have been weighted by a factor of 20 to represent the population.  Source:  Jobcentre Plus 5 per cent. Cohort

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the British missions in Afghanistan and Pakistan on improving postal services to British citizens working in Afghanistan.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 11 January 2010
	 As stated in our travel advice, conditions in Afghanistan mean we are only able to provide a very limited consular service. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not offer a poste restante service, and although we recommend that British citizens abroad register with our Locate service which we would also use as a key tool in any major crisis, we are aware that many people choose not to and so do not hold records of all citizens in Afghanistan. It is the responsibility of the individual or their employer to ensure that sufficient arrangements are in place for their mail and other support services in Afghanistan.
	For civilians working for Her Majesty's Government, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in common with other UK Government Departments, utilises the British Forces Post Office to get mail to Afghanistan. This is a longstanding arrangement, separate to that for servicemen in Afghanistan, which is also used to supply our other posts across the globe.

Afghanistan: Women

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to UN Security Council Resolution 1325, what steps the Government is taking to ensure women from civil society participate fully in the forthcoming Afghanistan Conference.

Ivan Lewis: Two representatives of Afghan Civil Society, one of them a woman, have been invited to attend and address the London Conference. They will present the conclusions of the Civil Society Event to be held on 26 January 2010, which will be attended by other members of Afghan civil society, including approximately six women and eight men from Afghanistan.

Ahmed Mahmoud Haddi

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will direct HM Ambassador in Rabat to investigate the abduction of Ahmed Mahmoud Haddi on 28 October 2009.

Ivan Lewis: Officials from our embassy in Rabat have been making inquiries about the alleged abduction of Ahmed Mahmoud Haddi after receiving reports from concerned members of the public.
	There are reports that he has been arrested, charged with criminal offences and is on remand in Oukasha prison in Casablanca. Officials in the UK and Rabat have been in touch with concerned non-governmental organizations about this case and will continue to maintain these lines of communication.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Travel Information

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to his Department's amended travel advice for Bosnia-Herzegovina issued on 12 January 2010, what assessment he has made of  (a) the threat from terrorism in Bosnia-Herzegovina and  (b) the respects in which Bosnia-Herzegovina differs from other countries in the region; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The 12 January 2010 amendments to the Travel Advice for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) related to the removal of Swine flu advice. There have been no recent incidents of terrorism in BiH and the advice on terrorism has remained unchanged. Countries are assessed on an individual basis and the level is determined by several sources including the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, security and intelligence agencies, local knowledge and reporting from our embassies. Travel advice is continually monitored.
	The current terrorist threat level for Bosnia and Herzegovina is underlying, meaning there is a low level of known terrorist activity. The threat level for BiH is the same as for those countries which border it.

China: Human Rights

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason the latest round of the UK-China human rights dialogue did not take place.

Ivan Lewis: The last round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue took place on 12 January 2009. The next round had been due to take place in early January 2010. The Chinese postponed the dialogue, claiming technical reasons. We have said to them that we do not understand the reason for postponement and have urged them to agree dates for the next round of the dialogue as soon as possible.

China: International Broadcasting

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Chinese government on its policy towards the Sound of Hope radio network.

Ivan Lewis: Restrictions on freedom of expression in China are a real concern. We have funded practical work with grassroots organisations and journalists to encourage greater freedom. We have serious concerns about the mistreatment of Falun Gong adherents and regularly raise this issue with the Chinese Government. We last raised our concerns about Falun Gong practitioners at the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue on 12-13 January 2009. We will raise this issue again at the next round of our Human Rights Dialogue.

Cyprus: Community Relations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the contribution of the Stelios Award for business co-operation to the Government's policy objectives in respect of bi-communal relations in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government welcome the Stelios awards for business co-operation as a very positive example of how bi-communal events can bring Greek and Turkish Cypriots together. Our high commission in Nicosia actively supported the initiative, hosting a networking event at the high commissioner's residence in July 2009 for members of the Cypriot business community looking to compete in the award. High commission staff were also active in promoting the awards, providing media support and advice for the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation's own public relations team and making sure the event got as much publicity as possible.

Cyprus: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the reasons for the renewal of the UNFICYP mandate and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1898; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The UK voted in favour of UN Security Council Resolution 1898, which extended the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) mandate until 15 June 2010. The UK supported this resolution to enable UNFICYP to continue its mission of maintaining stability in the buffer zone and supporting the UN Secretary General's Good Offices Mission. The resolution can be found at:
	http://www.uncyprustalks.org/media/SC%20Resolutions/SC_Res_1898_Dec_09.pdf

Cyprus: Politics and Government

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made in Turkey's EU accession process; and what his latest assessment is of the effects of such accession on Cyprus. [R]

Chris Bryant: The European Commission's Turkey 2009 Progress Report, released in October 2009, recognised genuine Turkish progress, for instance in addressing the Kurdish issue and improving energy security, but noted that renewed efforts on further reform were needed. Turkey recently opened Chapter 27-Environment at the Accession Conference in December last year. The Government believe that Turkish accession to the EU would have positive benefits for a re-unified Cyprus and enhance regional security and stability. The Government welcome Turkish Minister Egemen Bagis's public commitment to a Cyprus settlement based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, composed of two constituent states.

Cyprus: Politics and Government

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the outcome of the case of Apostolides  v. Orams on progress towards a settlement in Cyprus.

Chris Bryant: The Government recognise the importance of this verdict, which is a legal rather than a political decision. Ultimately the sensitive issue of property can only be entirely solved by a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem. We continue to support fully the two leaders in their attempts to achieve this.

Cyprus: Property

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will review the advice on his Department's website concerning the purchase of property in northern Cyprus in light of the Court of Appeal judgment in Apostolides  v. Orams; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Yes.

Darfur

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the proposal by the African Union Eminent Persons group for the establishment of hybrid courts to try persons charged with war crimes in Darfur.

Ivan Lewis: We have welcomed the report by the African Union Panel on Darfur (AUPD) led by former President Mbeki which included a recommendation for the establishment of hybrid courts to try those accused of atrocities in Darfur.
	There are some points within the report with which we do not agree, and others, including the proposal for hybrid courts, on which further details are needed. However, our overall assessment is that the report is thorough, detailed and balanced, with a frank analysis of causes and consequences of the conflict.
	We will continue to support the work of the Mbeki-led High-level Implementation Panel, which was established to take forward the report's recommendations, and encourage effective co-ordination with existing organisations working for peace in Sudan. We will work with the AU and other international organisations on those areas within the AUPD report which still need further consideration.

Departmental Drinking Water

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on bottled drinking water in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which websites his Department's staff are prevented from accessing from departmental networked computers.

Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to my hon. Friend the Member for Luton, South (Margaret Moran) on 5 February 2009,  Official Report, column 142W.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) complies with the policies set out in the Government's Security Policy Framework (SPF), particularly Mandatory Requirement (MR) 39. MR 39 requires Departments to comply with the requirements of any Codes of Connection, including technical and procedural policies to manage the risks posed by all forms of malicious software.
	The number of websites covered by this policy is large and is kept under constant review. It is therefore not practical to provide an exhaustive list of all websites blocked. However, access to the following categories of website are banned in order to comply with the SPF, the FCO's Acceptable Use Policy and to control bandwidth demands on the FCO's corporate infrastructure:
	those that contain viruses, trojans or other malicious software;
	sites that by-pass anti-virus defences;
	pornography and hate sites;
	gaming, gambling and social networking sites;
	bandwidth intensive sites which place excessive demands on the FCO's corporate infrastructure.
	The FCO will consider requests to access sites that fall under banned categories if there is a strong business need for them and they do not pose a risk to the corporate network.

Departmental Manpower

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1029W, on departmental manpower, what change there has been in the number of locally-engaged staff at the UK post in  (a) Washington,  (b) Istanbul,  (c) Abuja,  (d) Accra,  (e) Amman,  (f) Ankara,  (g) Beijing,  (h) Brussels,  (i) Lagos,  (j) Moscow and  (k) Madrid since the withdrawal of the overseas price mechanism.

David Miliband: As I made clear in my previous answer, historic information on local staff numbers is not held centrally. We are compiling the information and I will write to the right hon. Member.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in his Department and each of its agencies; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available.

Chris Bryant: The number of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff in each management level is shown in Table 20 of Civil Service Statistics, published by the Office of National Statistics in January 2010.
	The total salary cost, including social security and pension costs, for FY2008-09 is shown on Page 125 of Volume Two of the FCO Departmental Report and Resource Accounts, 1 April 2008-31 March 2009 (HC 460-II, 30 June 2009).
	Copies of both reports are placed in the Library of the House.
	We do not currently produce reports showing pay cost by management level and these could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations  (a) he and  (b) his Department has received from the US administration in the last 12 months on the (i) present and (ii) future budgets for his Department's programmes.

David Miliband: My officials and I have regular and wide ranging consultations with the US, as well as other countries and international organisations. It is not our policy to provide details of such discussions.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions he has and with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of the abolition of the overseas price mechanism on the budgets of his Department in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with Treasury  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in the 2009-10 financial year to discuss proposed in-year reductions to his Department's budgets for (i) counter-terrorism programmes in Pakistan, (ii) counter-radicalisation programmes in Pakistan and (iii) counter-narcotics programmes in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I refer to the reply given to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) today.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what budgetary estimates were made for his Department's expenditure on  (a) counter-terrorism programmes in Pakistan,  (b) counter-radicalisation programmes in Pakistan and  (c) counter-narcotics programmes in Afghanistan in April 2009; and what his most recent estimate is of the outturn of each.

David Miliband: Within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overall counter-terrorism spending, Pakistan is the top priority, reflecting the scale of the threat to our security from that country, and is the largest single recipient of funding. We are not cutting spending on counter-terrorism, or on counter-terrorism in Pakistan. Those budgets have increased in real terms year on year. In 2009-10 the Counter Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme's Pakistan spend is £8.2 million compared with £6.3 million in 2008-09. This represented an increase of 30 per cent. on the previous year's figure.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which programmes operated by his Department have had their estimated budget for 2009-10 as planned in April 2009 reduced in-year; what the  (a) original budget and  (b) present estimated outturn is in each case; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: All Foreign and Commonwealth Office budgets are reviewed regularly during the course of the financial year in the light of changing priorities, availability of resources and effectiveness of delivery. Outturns will be dependent on a variety of factors, including exchange rate movements. Audited accounts will be published in the normal way.

Departmental Training

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1225W, on departmental training, how many face-to-face training places his Department will provide for its staff in financial year 2010-11; and what change this represents on the previous financial year.

David Miliband: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to investing in FCO staff training and development. This will be focussed on meeting business needs, for example through improving the FCO's international policy skills and increasing performance management training. We will make final decisions on the number of face-to-face training places we provide in 2010-11 in light of the resources available.

Diplomatic Service

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the evidence of the Permanent Under-Secretary to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 9 December 2009, HC 145-i, question 10, what guidance has been given to the heads of overseas posts on expenditure on  (a) travel and  (b) hospitality; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Decisions on local budget spending including expenditure on travel and hospitality, are devolved to delegated budget holders and are made in the light of budgets available. All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. Foreign and Commonwealth Office guidance underlines that all staff should travel by the most appropriate means to ensure maximum efficiency and value for money. Spending on hospitality has to be in line with objectives and approved by line managers.

Diplomatic Service

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the evidence of the Permanent Under-Secretary to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 9 December 2009, HC 145-i, question 10, at which overseas posts programme activity has been stopped; and what estimate he has made of the aggregate expenditure not incurred as a result.

David Miliband: In 2009-10, programme activity has been stopped in Berne, Madrid, Reykjavik, Stockholm, and Valletta. Our estimate of the aggregate expenditure not incurred as a result is £39,560.

Diplomatic Service

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the evidence of the Permanent Under-Secretary to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 9 December 2009, HC 145-i, question 26, what plans he has for further reductions in the number of overseas posts; and which posts will be affected.

David Miliband: The Government are absolutely committed to a world-class and comprehensive diplomatic service that is a credit to the UK. The fall in the exchange rate has affected the purchasing power of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office budget. I am working with colleagues to address next year's budget, and will report when those discussions are complete. I am committed to ensuring that as a result of these discussions we will be able both to fulfil our historic responsibilities and to pursue our modern priorities.

Diplomatic Service: Pay

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 192W, on departmental manpower, what the main findings were of the joint pay review in each of the five UK overseas missions that have completed the exercise; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The joint pay review referred to in the answer of 5 January 2010 was conducted in the following five Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)/Department for International Development (DFID) co-located posts:
	Addis Ababa
	Kampala
	Lusaka
	Nairobi
	Sana'a.
	New Delhi has now also completed its review. The reviews found that the pay and non-pay benefits of FCO and DFID locally engaged staff were broadly aligned with the local market comparators in most posts. Where there were divergences, both organisations have taken steps to bring salaries within the mid-market range and good progress has been made in this respect. Upwards of 85 per cent. of non-pay terms and conditions of service in most locations which completed the exercise have been aligned with local market practice immediately. This fulfils the overall objective of the exercise to harmonise as closely as possible FCO/DFID local staff pay and conditions of service with local market comparators.

European Council

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the attendance of foreign ministers of EU member states at meetings of the European Council; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Treaty is clear that the European Council comprises the Heads of State or Government of the 27 member states of the EU, chaired by the President of the European Council and with the President of the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also in attendance. The Treaty also makes clear that members of the European Council can decide to be assisted by another Minister where the agenda so requires. The European Council at its December 2009 meeting discussed the issue, and Foreign Ministers are likely to attend the European Council at least once a year.

Hornby System

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance issued to his Department's staff on the Hornby system for claiming for foreign travel.

Chris Bryant: As the guidance on this is regularly updated and is currently under review, it would not be appropriate to place a hard copy in the House of Commons Library, but I have placed there a broad explanation of the travel package principles.

Indonesia: Falun Gong

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Indonesian government on its decision not to grant a licence to the Sound of Hope radio network.

Ivan Lewis: We have no plans to make representations regarding the broadcasting licence of the Sound of Hope's radio station in Indonesia-Radio Erabaru. The decision to withdraw the licence is being challenged in the Indonesian courts. Indonesia has a dynamic and relatively free press and remains the only country in south-east Asia classed as 'free' by Freedom House.

Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Bill

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions officials in his Department have had with the US administration on the passage of the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Bill; and what his policy is on the passage of the legislation.

David Miliband: The UK, with international partners including the US, pursues the dual track strategy of dialogue and pressure with regard to Iran's nuclear programme. Sanctions have an important role to play in this approach. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have discussed draft versions of this Bill in broad terms with the US administration and Congressional staff and will continue to do so as it proceeds. They have explained that though the UK supports the adoption of effective sanctions, it has concerns about extraterritorial legislation.

Lebanon: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Lebanon.

Ivan Lewis: Our aim is to work with the Lebanese Government to support reform inside Lebanon and peace in the wider region.
	The Lebanese Parliament's vote of confidence in the national unity Government led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri is a positive development for both the people of Lebanon and the region.
	We call on the new Government to make implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 a top priority.
	We welcome the new Government's commitment to economic reform and we are encouraging the Government to focus on the benchmarks set in the EU's Neighbourhood Action Plan, and the benchmarks for Lebanese accession to the World Trade Organisation.

Members: Correspondence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to answer the letter from the hon. Member for Romsey of 2 September 2009, on an enquiry made on behalf of her constituents, Mr. and Mrs. J. Cook.

Chris Bryant: The letter from the hon. Member was transferred to, and accepted by, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) on 12 November 2009. The MOJ has already replied to the letter.

Morocco

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to discourage UK residents from purchasing properties inside those Moroccan settlements in Western Sahara which are deemed to be illegal; and if he will estimate the number of houses in such settlements owned by UK nationals.

Ivan Lewis: UK residents who are considering purchasing properties in Morocco or the disputed territory of Western Sahara should seek independent qualified legal advice. The UK Government do not hold information on the number of UK residents who buy property overseas.

Official Visits

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's role is in the arrangements for foreign visits on official business by Ministers from other Departments.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its network of diplomatic missions support the planning, delivery and security of many official visits overseas by Ministers from other Departments, in support of the Government's policies and international priorities.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the restrictions on access into Gaza of aid and reconstruction materials on the prospects for progress in negotiations on peace in the Middle East; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK remains extremely concerned by the Gaza border restrictions imposed by the Israeli Government and continues to call for those restrictions to be eased further. We, along with our international allies, will continue to work for peace in the Middle East. It is imperative to create hope and a vision of Israel and a viable Palestinian State living as neighbours in peace and security.

Pirates: Hostages

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British-owned and registered vessels have been captured by pirates in the Gulf of Aden and the surrounding ocean in the last 12 months; how many  (a) passengers and  (b) crew of each nationality were on board each such ship at the time of capture; and what steps are being taken to ensure their safe return.

Ivan Lewis: In the last 12 months there have been three British-owned and registered ships captured by pirates. The yacht Lynn Rival was hijacked near the Seychelles on 23 October 2009 with two UK nationals on board. The British-flagged MV St. James Park was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on 28 December 2009 and the MV Asian Glory was hijacked in the Indian Ocean on 3 January 2010. Neither vessel had any UK nationals on board.
	According to information received from the shipping company, the crew breakdowns are as follows:
	St. James Park: Bulgaria five, Georgia one, India six, Philippines three, Poland one, Romania two, Russia three, Turkey three and Ukraine two.
	Asian Glory: Bulgaria eight, India five, Romania two and Ukraine 10.
	Contact is being maintained with the affected ship owners. Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff are in contact with the Chandler family and we are offering them full consular support.
	In addition to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces on 13 January 2010,  Official Report, column 999W, we are supporting strongly international action to combat piracy at sea, militarily and through close co-operation with industry, through support for regional capability development and through action to address the underlying causes of instability and lack of rule of law on land.

Polisario Front

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a Minister last met persons working on behalf of the Polisario Front.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met Independent Diplomat and discussed Western Sahara in January 2008. Officials in London also regularly meet with the Polisario's representative in the UK. There have been no further ministerial meetings with people working on behalf of the Polisario Front. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials from London and the UK's Mission to the UN meet regularly with Independent Diplomat, with the last meeting being in December 2009.

Somalia: Piracy

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of progress towards securing the release of Paul and Rachel Chandler who have been kidnapped by Somali pirates.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 25 January 2010
	 We are monitoring the situation very closely and doing everything we properly can to help secure a release. Foreign and Commonwealth Office consular staff are in regular contact with the Chandlers' next of kin and are offering support.
	We will continue to use political and other contacts in the region, including the Somali Government (Transitional Federal Government). Government policy is that we do not make substantive concessions to hostage-takers, including the payment of ransoms.

Soviet Union of Funds

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department received on the alleged donation by the former Soviet Union of funds to UK-based organisations between 1980 and 1989.

Chris Bryant: This information is not held centrally and to collate would incur disproportionate cost.

Sri Lanka: Elections

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role independent international election monitors will play in Sri Lanka's forthcoming elections; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: A Commonwealth Expert Team will visit Sri Lanka for the presidential election on 26 January 2010. Its mandate is to assess the overall conduct of the electoral process and the environment in which the election is conducted. Two other independent international organisations are expected to send teams to Sri Lanka for the presidential election on 26 January: the Association of Asian Election Authorities; and the Asian Network for Free Elections. Exact details of their activities have not yet been announced.
	The Government are also providing funding to help support the work of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence, an independent Sri Lankan election monitoring body. We continue to encourage the Government of Sri Lanka to take measures to ensure the election is free and fair. I wrote to the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister on 11 January 2010 to urge his Government to ensure effective measures are in place to prevent and control election related violence, as well as ensuring the Election Commissioner's rulings are implemented effectively by the police and other authorities.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to seek to ensure the complete implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan; what assistance the UK plans to provide in co-operation with other countries for elections and referendums in the next 18 months in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: On 9 January my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister re-emphasised the UK's commitment to the complete implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. On 8 January 2010 I joined Troika colleagues to urge greater efforts in Sudan and from the international community. Both statements can be found at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/news
	My noble Friend Baroness Kinnock visited Sudan from 11 to 13 January 2010 and emphasised the need for strong political leadership from all parties to ensure credible elections in April, agreeing the terms of the referendum in January 2011 and for work to start on post 2011 issues such as oil sharing, regardless of the outcome of the referendum. The UK will continue to press on these issues at every level.
	The UK recently committed an additional £8 million to support elections in Sudan bringing our total contribution so far to £12.5 million. This assistance will help with technical preparations, civic and voter education and conflict management. We are also pressing the European Commission to deploy an election observation mission to Sudan ahead of the elections.

Sudan: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Southern Sudan on its proposal to set up a Southern Sudan Referendum Committee.

Ivan Lewis: My noble Friend, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, urged the Government of National Unity (GNU) to accelerate progress on preparations for the referendum during her visit to Sudan between 10 and 13 January 2010.
	We are pleased that agreement was reached on the Referendum Bill in December 2009. The next stage will be for the GNU to establish the Referendum Commission and appoint Commissioners to take forward practical and technical preparations for the referendum. We are looking at what support we will provide to the Commission in this regard.

Sudan: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Southern Sudan on the steps to be taken to ensure that parties other than the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement have sufficient capacity to be able to contest the forthcoming elections.

Ivan Lewis: During her recent visit to Sudan between 11 and 13 January 2010, my noble Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, underlined in Juba, as she had in Khartoum, the need for political freedoms, noting reports of harassment of National Congress Party members and reports that some southern opposition leaders had not been allowed to operate in the South. Baroness Kinnock received assurances from the government of Southern Sudan that all registered parties were free to campaign in the South.

Syrian Arab Republic: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Syria.

Ivan Lewis: Our aim is to work with Syria to ensure it plays a constructive and stabilising role in the region, to support trade and economic development and to improve its human rights record at home.

Western Sahara

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to recognise Moroccan sovereignty of the Western Sahara.

Ivan Lewis: The Government regard the status of the disputed non self-governing territory of Western Sahara as undetermined, pending UN efforts to find a solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. In this regard, the Government fully support the efforts of Christopher Ross, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy to Western Sahara.

Western Sahara: Human Rights

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date he most recently met UK human rights and peace groups working on Western Saharan issues.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not recently met UK based non-governmental organisations to discuss the Western Sahara specifically.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials regularly meet such groups, with the last such meeting being with the Western Sahara Campaign on 19 January 2010.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Children: Carers

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in how many households in the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency a child under the age of 18 years fulfils the role of a carer for a disabled parent.

Dawn Primarolo: Precise local and national data on the number of children under the age of 18 years caring for a disabled parent are not collected centrally.

Children's Play: Devon

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department has provided for the enhancement of public play facilities in  (a) Torbay constituency and  (b) Devon in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Following the commitments made in the Children's Plan in 2007 and the national play strategy in 2008, every top-tier local authority in England is now receiving funding through the play capital investment programme.
	Of the 152 top-tier local authorities, 30 are play pathfinder authorities and the remaining 122 local authorities are all playbuilder authorities. On average every play pathfinder authority will receive around £2 million capital funding and £500,000 revenue funding, while playbuilder authorities will receive around £1 million capital and £45,000 revenue funding, over the current spending period 2008-09 to 2010-11. Play pathfinder authorities will use their allocated funding to deliver a minimum of 28 play areas plus a new staffed adventure playground, while playbuilder authorities will deliver a minimum of 22 play areas by 2011. The play areas that are delivered can be either completely new areas or existing areas which are significantly refurbished.
	Local authorities have joined the programme, and so started receiving their funding, in two phases: Wave 1 started in April 2008 and Wave 2 in April 2009. Torbay and Devon are both Wave 2 playbuilder authorities and as such are required to deliver 11 play areas each in both 2009-10 and 2010-11.
	The following tables show the capital and revenue funding allocated to Torbay and Devon during 2009-10, with indicative allocations for 2010-11 which will be confirmed in February 2010.
	Decisions on where the allocated capital funding is spent within local authority boundaries are taken locally, based on grant requirements around improved play spaces being provided where they are most needed and based on a robust consultation process with local children and young people, families and wider communities.
	We are encouraging all Members of Parliament to proactively engage with their local play capital programmes as they roll out, and we are asking local authorities to ensure that their local Members of Parliament and council elected members are appropriately consulted, and briefed, about where the capital funding is spent.
	
		
			   Capital funding (£)  Revenue funding (£) 
			  Local authority  2009-10  2010-11  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Torbay 529,078 596,381 27,372 18,248 
			 Devon 535,178 603,256 27,554 18,370

Class Sizes: Sussex

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average class size was in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Lewes constituency and (ii) East Sussex in (A) 1997 and (B) 2009.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  LA maintained primary and state funded secondary( 1)  schools: Average class size( 2) 
			   Lewes  East Sussex( 3) 
			   Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary 
			 1997 27.8 21.3 28.2 21.4 
			 2009 26.9 23.5 27.2 21.6 
			 (1) Includes city technology colleges and academies. Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. (3) East Sussex in 1997 in pre local government reorganisation and therefore includes schools in Brighton and Hove.  Source: School census

Class Sizes: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average class size in schools in Torbay constituency was in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009.

Vernon Coaker: The average class size of maintained primary schools in Torbay was 29.1 in 1997 and 27.2 in 2009; the figures for state funded secondary(1) schools were 21.4 and 20.6 respectively.
	(1) Includes middle schools as deemed, city technology colleges and academies.

Pre-school Education: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on extending the pre-school entitlement to two year olds in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2008-09; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much funding his Department expects to allocate to extend the pre-school entitlement to two year olds in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 6 January 2010
	Funding allocated to support the Free Early Learning and Childcare offer to the most disadvantaged two-year-olds is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2008-09 20 
			 2009-10 61 
			 2010-11 76 
		
	
	We are committed to rolling out a free entitlement to two-year-olds, stage by stage. The most disadvantaged two-year-olds in every local authority can already access a free place of at least 10 hours a week, 38 weeks per year. Decisions regarding future funding settlements will be taken as part of the next spending review.

Pupils: Bullying

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to prevent children from being stigmatised as witches.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government issued guidance on 'Safeguarding Children from Abuse Linked to a Belief in Spirit Possession' in May 2007. The guidance provides advice to agencies working with children to help them identify and deal with abuse that may be linked to a belief in spirit possession, following the processes set out in the core Government guidance, 'Working Together to Safeguard Children'. The guidance also advises local agencies and institutions to work to minimise risk of harm by building trust and understanding of child abuse issues with local communities.

School Leaving: Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much he expects his Department to spend in each area of expenditure on raising the education and training leaving age in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Raising the participation age will bring benefits for young people, the economy and wider society. Continuing in learning post 16 means young people are more likely to achieve higher levels of qualifications and to have increased earnings over their lifetime, better health and improved social skills. This in turn contributes to a more highly skilled, productive and internationally competitive workforce, with net benefits estimated at an additional £1.6 billion for each cohort of young people affected by RPA.
	The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families recently announced a record level of investment of £8.2bn in 16-18 learning for 2010-11. It was also announced that the budget for 16-18 learning would increase by 0.9 per cent. in real terms in 2011-12 and 2012-13 in preparation for raising of the participation age. Funding beyond this period is subject to future spending reviews.
	To further support preparations for raising the participation age, trials are underway in 11 local areas to develop innovative local practice. Building on existing good practice the Department for Children, Schools and Families has recently published Raising the Participation Age: supporting local areas to deliver which sets out the key actions at national and local levels to support raising the participation age. This includes:
	Ensuring all children are prepared for success through new pupil and parent guarantees, a new secondary curriculum, one-to-one tuition and dissemination of good practice to tackle disengagement during key stage 3;
	Delivering a high quality and engaging learning offer to all young people through diplomas, general qualifications, apprenticeships and foundation learning with an additional £20 million being invested in foundation learning for key stage 4 learners in 2010-11. We will also work with employers to ensure there is a high quality offer for young people who choose to learn alongside full-time employment;
	Providing young people with the support they need to participate, for instance through a learning and support agreement approach that bring together the young person's learning goals, how their needs will be met, the contribution of different agencies and the actions the young person will undertake;
	Enabling all local areas to deliver RPA for example through the transfer to local authorities of the 16-19 participation budget and the sharing and development of good practice from an expansion of the RPA trial areas during 2010-11.

Specialised Diplomas: Yorkshire and the Humber

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people are studying for 14 to 19 diplomas in  (a) Leeds, West constituency and  (b) West Yorkshire in academic year 2009-10.

Iain Wright: The 14 to 19 diploma was introduced in the academic year 2008/09. Data for this year were published via the DCSF website on 11 November 2009 at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STA/t000888/index.shtml
	We do not expect the 2009/10 figures by parliamentary constituency to be available until end November 2010 at the earliest.
	The number of learners who participated in a course of study towards a diploma for all or part of the academic year 2008/09 in  (a) the Leeds, West parliamentary constituency and  (b) West Yorkshire, up to and including 31 August 2009, as identified by the number of diploma learners registered on the QCDA Diploma Aggregation Service (DAS) data is:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Leeds, West 38 
			 West Yorkshire 324 
		
	
	10 diploma subjects are currently available, a further seven will be phased in over a period to 2012.

Supervised Homes

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many new places in supervised homes have been created for  (a) 16 and 17 year olds who are parents and  (b) all 16 and 17 year olds since September 2009.

Dawn Primarolo: The information in the table has been provided by the Homes and Communities Agency about the commitment of funding allocations to provide expected units of supported housing directed at young people.
	
		
			  Allocations (not spend) and estimated outputs made from the National Affordable Housing Programme up to 10 December 2009 
			  Client group  Grant (£)  Units of accommodation 
			 Teenage Parents 3,228,924 43 
			 Young People at risk 6,562,003 134 
			 Young people leaving care 90,000 2 
			 Total for supported housing young people 9,880,927 179

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Broadband

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings he has had with British Telecom to discuss funding for next generation broadband services since 1 June 2009.

Ian Lucas: The Minister for Digital Media has had one introductory meeting with British Telecom since August 2009, where a range of topics was discussed including funding for next generation broadband services.

Business Links

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses have received a health check from Business Link to date.

Rosie Winterton: Between the announcement of the free Business Link 'Health Check' on 23 October 2008 and 30 November (the date of the most recent figures), over 103,000 unique businesses have benefited from a 'Health Check'.

Communication Service Providers

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom on consumer access to third party services from all  (a) next generation and  (b) public communication networks.

Stephen Timms: The Department has regular discussions with Ofcom across a range of subject areas, including access to third party services over communication networks. I provided some details of a recent case concerning 118 directory enquiry providers in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Derek Wyatt). In addition, officials from my Department have discussed with Ofcom regulation of third parties' ability to use BT's network to provide a service, including BT's next generation access network. The Department has also discussed with Ofcom issues relating to the openness of the internet, including in the context of European discussions.
	Decisions on regulation of access to communications networks remain a matter for the regulator.

Companies House: Expenditure

Mark Todd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the reason for the cost of the  (a) finance function and  (b) IT of Companies House referred to in the publication Benchmarking the Back Office: Central Government; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: I have not made a specific assessment of these costs but Companies House's total costs and efficiencies form part of my annual assessment of its performance. In comparison with other Government organisations, Companies House is a customer-facing delivery agency which bases its services on a modern IT platform, web-based interfaces and finance processes and resources which support its customers (such as invoice billing and credit control). These functions are not generally needed in all of the Government organisations against which Companies House is compared in the Benchmarking the Back Office report.
	Companies House is, however, working hard to realise efficiencies. The Business Plan for 2010-11 shows IT costs at 60 per cent. of those in the year benchmarked.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people his Department employs to maintain its participation in social media and networking sites; and what estimate he has made of the cost of employing such staff in the latest period for which figures are available.

Pat McFadden: The Department does not employ anyone specifically to maintain its participation in social media and networking sites. The Digital Communications team supports policy officials and Ministers to engage and inform a broad range of audiences using digital channels which include social media. Currently four individuals are involved as a small part of their total duties in managing the Department's presence on social websites Twitter, Flickr and YouTube. On average the work is that of approximately 0.2 full-time equivalent staff. Taking into account the grades of the individuals, the total the cost of this staff time is estimated as £668 per month.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department and its predecessor spent on  (a) new furnishings,  (b) art and  (c) new vehicles in each of the last three years.

Pat McFadden: This Department's published Annual Report and Accounts contain information on its tangible fixed assets, which includes an additions category entitled 'furniture, fixtures and fittings'. These accounts can be found on the BIS website at the following address:
	www.bis.gov.uk
	The previous three published accounts are available on the website as follows:
	Department of Trade and Industry Annual Report and Accounts 2006/07 (HC 584) Chapter 5, Note 14;
	Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Annual Report and Accounts 2007/08 (HC757) Chapter 5, Note 14;
	Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Annual Report and Accounts 2008/09 (HC 447) Chapter 5, Note 15.
	BIS has not procured any art or new vehicles in any of the last three years.

Employment: Young People

James Clappison: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of people aged between 16 and 24 years were not in education, employment and training in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Kevin Brennan: Labour Force Survey data, used to estimate the number of people not in employment, education or training, are not yet available for quarter 4 2009.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) publishes the above estimates every quarter and the latest information can be found at the following website:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000890/NEETQtrBriefQ32009.pdf
	Estimates for quarter 4 2009 will be published on 25 February 2010.

Higher Education: Admissions

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people normally resident in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) nationwide enrolled at university in each year since 2007-08.

David Lammy: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Enrolments1 from Jarrow constituency2, South Tyneside local authority2, the north-east of England Government office region2 and England: UK higher education institutions, academic years 2007/08 and 2008/09 
			  Academic year  Jarrow  South Tyneside  North-east  England 
			 2007/08 2,170 3,870 78,995 1,610,605 
			 2008/09 2,285 4,040 82,245 1,669,985 
			 (1) Covers undergraduate and postgraduate students of all ages enrolled on full-time and part-time courses. (2) The table does not include enrolments where the constituency, local authority and Government office region of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid postcode information.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA Standard Registration Population and rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency

Higher Education: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applicants from  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) Chelmsford local authority area did not get a place at university in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

David Lammy: holding answer 21 January 2010
	The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Applicants to full-time undergraduate courses via UCAS from West Chelmsford constituency and Chelmsford local authority area 
			   Year of entry 
			   2008  2009 
			 West Chelmsford constituency   
			 Applicants 814 975 
			  Of which:   
			 Obtained a place 675 788 
			 Unplaced 139 187 
			
			 Chelmsford local authority   
			 Applicants 1,244 1,489 
			  Of which:   
			 Obtained a place 1,026 1,211 
			 Unplaced 218 278

Restaurants: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies are registered under UK standard industry classification codes for restaurants in  (a) Hampshire,  (b) the City of Portsmouth and  (c) Portsmouth, South constituency.

Ian Lucas: As the question stands Companies House is unable to provide the answer. However, if postal codes are provided one-off reports can be prepared from their records. If the hon. Gentleman would therefore like to provide this information to the chief executive's office the information will be provided to him directly. The contact details are as follows:
	Gareth Jones
	Chief Executive and Registrar of Companies
	Companies House
	Crown Way
	Cardiff CF14 3UZ
	e-mail: registrar@companieshouse.gov.uk

Science and Technology Facilities Council

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the terms of reference are of the review of the Science and Technology Facilities Council announced by the Minister of State for Science and Innovation on 16 December 2009.

David Lammy: The Review will consider:
	how better to manage overseas programme costs;
	the improved management of the exchange rate risk;
	the current structure of the STFC grant portfolio;
	planning the use of facilities managed by STFC but available to researchers across several Research Councils.
	The Review, undertaken with the close involvement of STFC, will engage key stakeholders from the STFC scientific community, the other Research Councils and their scientific communities, the relevant learned societies and the Treasury. The Review will also examine arrangements overseas for the funding and operation of large scientific facilities and for the equivalent of STFC research grants.

Students: Finance

Patrick Hall: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons full assessment of loan and grant applications made in the 2009-10 academic year have been delayed.

David Lammy: I refer you to my written ministerial statement to the House on 8 December 2009,  Official Report, column 11WS. The report and statement can be found at the following URL:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/hopkin

TREASURY

Bradford and Bingley

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) size and  (b) regional distribution is of the buy to let portfolio of the residual portion of Bradford and Bingley owned by UK Financial Investments.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 845W.

Child Care Vouchers

Sally Keeble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the Exchequer of  (a) withdrawing the tax exemption for employer supported childcare,  (b) the extension of the free childcare entitlement for two-year olds and  (c) claims for the childcare element of working tax credit in the next 12 months;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of employers which will close their childcare vouchers scheme as a result of the removal of the tax exemption for employer-supported childcare.

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effects of proposals to end tax relief on employer-supported childcare vouchers on the ability of families on average incomes to afford childcare.

Stephen Timms: On Friday 4 December 2009, the Prime Minister announced Government's policy in relation to Employer Supported Childcare. Tax exemptions on Employer Supported Childcare will not be removed.
	For further information I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 846W.
	The reforms to tax relief for childcare vouchers will allow the Government to move towards the long-term ambition set out by the Prime Minister to extend the offer of free part time nursery places for all two-year-olds whose parents want them. As set out in Table B4 on page 173 of the 2009 Pre-Budget Report this approach will be revenue neutral.
	The information requested is not available, as HMRC do not produce forecasts for the individual elements of Child and Working Tax Credits.

Coinage: Forgery

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been convicted of an offence of counterfeiting coins in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Treasury holds no central figures relating to the number of individuals convicted of counterfeiting coins.

Departmental Buildings

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what square footage of office space his Department and its agencies rent; and in respect of what proportion of such space rental is calculated on an index-linked basis.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Address  Area (1,000 m( 2) )  Comment 
			 Rosebery Court, Norwich 6.6 3,100 m(2) sublet to VOA, Buying Solutions, HMRC and a private tenant 
			 Alexandra House, Leeds 0.6 - 
			 Eastbury House, London 0.3 - 
			 Eastcheap Court, London 1.3 389 m(2) sublet to APA 
		
	
	In addition, the Office for Government Commerce is responsible for the management of 16 properties on the residual estate.
	The space rentals for these properties are not subject to calculation on an index-linked basis.

Departmental Pay

John Leech: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) average and  (b) highest non-consolidated performance related payment in cash terms was for senior civil servants in HM Revenue and Customs, in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The non-consolidated performance related payments made to Senior Civil Servants (SCS) in HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Highest  Average 
			 2005-06 11,300 4,983 
			 2006-07 40,000 7,890 
			 2007-08 45,000 8,351 
			 2008-09 34,594 8,581 
		
	
	The figures cover all payments made to those in the SCS during the financial year and include those on standard permanent, standard fixed term contracts and non-standard fixed term contracts.
	Non-consolidated payments are made for the previous year's performance so any bonuses paid during 2007-08 are for work completed in 2006-07.

Financial Services Compensation Scheme

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the monetary value of bank deposits insured by the Government under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: According to the FSA's most recent figures, at 31 December 2008 the amount of deposits protected by the FSCS was £1,010 billion.

Insolvency: Fees and Charges

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies  (a) his Department and  (b) its (i) agencies and (ii) non-ministerial departments have made of the tax derived from fee income accruing from (A) corporation and (B) limited liability partnerships in respect of insolvency work.

Stephen Timms: No such studies have been made.
	HM Revenue and Customs do not collect data to this level of detail.

Microgeneration: Finance

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the introduction of a feed-in tariff for micro-combined heat and power.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

National Income

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the gross domestic product per head of population was in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2010:
	As Director General of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking what the gross domestic product per head of population was in each of the last three years. (311754)
	The latest available figures show that GDP per head in the most recent three years for which data are available are:
	2006: £21,882
	2007: £22,942
	2008: £23,596
	Data for 2009 will be available for the first time on 30 March 2010.
	 Background note
	1. These figures are most recent GDP figures at current market prices published in the ONS statistical bulletin Quarterly National Accounts on 22 December 2009 and latest mid-year population estimates published in the ONS publication Monthly Digest of Statistics.

Revenue and Customs: Powers of Entry

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times HM Revenue and Customs officers holding writs of assistance have exercised rights to effect entry by force without obtaining warrants from magistrates in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available, as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) do not keep records of how many times entry is effected by force.
	HMRC's records show that in 2008-09 writs of assistance were used a total of 68 times. Force will not have been used in the vast majority of cases.

Revenue and Customs: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the running costs were of each HM Revenue and Customs office in Scotland in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the fixed accommodation cash running costs of HM Revenue and Customs office buildings in Scotland were over each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: Most of HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) offices are occupied under the terms of private finance initiative (PFI) contracts, under which the Department is unable to disclose running cost information for individual offices due to commercial sensitivity considerations.
	For those offices not held under a PFI arrangement, running cost information is provided in the following tables-information prior to 2006-07 is available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table 1: Running costs by building-accruals basis including accounting adjustments for accruals and depreciation 
			  £ millions 
			  Building name  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Cameron House, Albany Street, Oban(1) 0.03 0.02 0.00 
			 Liberator House, Prestwick(1,2) 0.05 0.04 0.04 
			 Longman House, 28 Longman Street, Inverness(3) 0.07 0.07 0.08 
			 Spitfire House, Turnhouse Road, Edinburgh(1) 0.03 0.03 0.03 
			 Saunton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh(3) 1.28 0.83 0.55 
			 Barbara Ritchie House, Almondvale Way, Livingston 1.36 1.37 1.38 
			 Sidlaw House, Dundee Technology Park, Explorer Road, Dundee(2) 1.75 1.79 1.74 
			 Bathgate Contact Centre, Pyramids Business Park, Bathgate(4) 2.93 2.83 2.81 
			 Accounts Office (Aspire), St. Mungo's Road, Cumbernauld 0.19 0.69 0.79 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Running costs by building-cash basis excluding accounting adjustment for accruals and depreciation 
			  £ millions 
			  Building name  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Cameron House, Albany Street, Oban(1) 0.03 0.02 0.00 
			 Liberator House, Prestwick(1,2) 0.05 0.04 0.04 
			 Longman House, 28 Longman Street, Inverness(3) 0.07 0.04 0.06 
			 Spitfire House, Turnhouse Road, Edinburgh(1) 0.03 0.03 0.03 
			 Saunton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh(3) 1.27 0.82 0.54 
			 Barbara Ritchie House, Almondvale Way, Livingston 1.36 1.29 1.35 
			 Sidlaw House, Dundee Technology Park, Explorer Road, Dundee(2) 1.98 1.62 1.68 
			 Bathgate Contact Centre, Pyramids Business Park, Bathgate(4) 2.84 2.45 2.68 
			 Accounts Office (Aspire), St. Mungo's Road, Cumbernauld 0.19 0.69 0.78 
			 (1) Building Vacations: Cameron House, Albany Street, Oban-November 2007 Spitfire House, Turnhouse Road, Edinburgh-September 2008 Liberator House, Prestwick-August 2009 (2) Rates Revaluations 2007-08: Liberator House, Prestwick Sidlaw House, Dundee Technology Park, Explorer Road, Dundee (3) MOTO reduction in 2007-08: Longman House, 28 Longman Street, Inverness Saunton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh (4) Depreciation adjustments 2006-07: Bathgate Contact Centre, Pyramids Business Park, Bathgate

Smuggling: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the amount of revenue lost as a result of illegal trading in  (a) cigarettes,  (b) spirits,  (c) diesel,  (d) petrol and  (e) counterfeit goods in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The total revenue losses as a result of illegal trading in cigarettes and spirits are not estimated separately for Northern Ireland. Figures for the UK were published by HMRC in 'Measuring Tax Gaps - 2009' in November 2009. The two most recent years covered were 2006-07 and 2007-08. This publication is available in the House of Commons Library.

Smuggling: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the size of the illicit market for  (a) cigarettes,  (b) spirits,  (c) diesel and  (d) petrol in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The size of the illicit markets for cigarettes and spirits is not estimated separately for Northern Ireland. Figures for the UK were published by HMRC in 'Measuring Tax Gaps-2009' in November 2009. The two most recent years covered were 2006-07 and 2007-08. This publication is available in the House of Commons Library.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of the stamp duty holiday; and how many property transactions did not attract stamp duty during the holiday which would have done so outside the holiday period in  (a) each government office region in England,  (b) Wales,  (c) Scotland and  (d) Northern Ireland.

Stephen Timms: The estimated cost of the stamp duty land tax holiday in 2008-09 and 2009-10 up to 3 September 2009, the original date for the end of the holiday, was published in the 2008 pre-Budget report, available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr08_annexb_262.pdf
	A revised estimate for the cost of the stamp duty land tax holiday in 2009-10, to 3 September 2009, was published in table A2 of Budget 2009 available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/Budget2009/bud09_chaptera_307.pdf
	The cost of extending the holiday to 31 December 2009 was also published in table A1 of Budget 2009 available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/Budget2009/bud09_chaptera_307.pdf
	Estimated numbers of transactions falling in the price range between £125,000 and £175,000 which would have attracted stamp duty land tax without the holiday relief, in the period between 3 September 2008 and the end of December 2009, are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of transactions in each region sold for between £125,000 and £175,000 in the period from September 2008 to December 2009 inclusive. 
			  Region  Number 
			 North West 20,600 
			 North East 6,900 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 18,200 
			 East of England 31,800 
			 South East 42,400 
			 South West 32,900 
			 London 15,600 
			 East Midlands 20,000 
			 West Midlands 18,700 
			 Scotland 20,700 
			 Wales 8,600 
			 Northern Ireland 4,700 
			 Unallocated to region 8,900